


Wildfire: Origins

by CrossingTheFourthWall



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Gen, origin story for Wildfire aka Inferno from Maria's Adventures, sorta - Freeform, took a lot of things from the novels that are connected to TFP and the video games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 21:45:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 78,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11677695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrossingTheFourthWall/pseuds/CrossingTheFourthWall
Summary: Wildfire would have preferred being left alone to her job as a gladiator and -- just for once -- being treated like a Cybertronian equal to others instead of just something for entertainment. Unfortunately, she finds herself dragged into an inevitable war as tensions rise between social classes. It becomes clear which side she should be a part of, but the question of whether or not she'll be there when they win is another question entirely.





	1. Chapter 1

"Wildfire! You're on!"

A red and orange Cybertronian looked up from polishing a vibroblade that was normally kept hidden in her left arm, right above her servo. The optics, a clear blue that rivaled the glow of Energon, were hard with a guarded look that hinted at experience in times and places that called for the use of a weapon -- or multiple, if need be.

The Cybertronian sheathed the blade with a clench of her servo and stood up from the crate on which she had been sitting. "Rules?"

"First wound," the other replied -- a black and white Cybertronian mech with blaring red optics. "It's a newbie."

"Newbie, huh?" A sneer made its way across the femme's face. "This is going to be _fun._ " Wildfire walked over to the door that led from the underground tunnels to the gladiator pit above. "Has this greenie got a name?"

"Yeah. Electro, or something." The mech made a careless waving motion. "Probably has something to do with where he used to work or something."

Wildfire nodded slightly, a minor amount of interest mixing with the serious look on her face. "Okay, then. I wonder how he's going to fight...." She turned and headed out through the doorway, her optics adjusting instantly to the blaring light that shone down from the ceiling of the gladiatorial arena. The constant cheering of the crowds only increased as the fiery-colored femme appeared on the rocky arena floor far below them. She looked around the arena, the fiery piles of scrap dancing in the peripheral.

Taking note of a flash of blue, Wildfire turned her gaze to the other side of the arena, catching sight of a rather nervous-looking light blue mech who was doing his best to keep a determined look on his face, despite the obviously terrified look in his blue optics. A newbie, that much was certain -- only this one was more nervous than the others the femme had fought in the past. Others were over-confident of their abilities, and rushed into battle without a problem. This one looked like he was ready to hit reverse.

Wildfire sent him a malicious smile that told the mech exactly what she hoped to do, causing him to stiffen up into a battle stance. At least he knew an unspoken promise when he saw one. Crossing her arms in front of her, she brought them back to her sides quickly, drawing her vibroblades in a flourish, earning yells from the crowd at the sudden movement.

The mech's optics widened, and his neck cables convulsed as he mimed a nervous swallow before bringing his fists up and clenching them, the nervous look returning.

He didn't have any built-in weapons, Wildfire realized. What sort of idiot got into the gladiator business without getting weapons first?

Well, this fight was going to be easier than she had originally expected. Her surprise quickly leaving her face with a neutral expression, Wildfire dashed forward, arms behind her so that she could pick up speed and give a good swing when she got close. Because it was first wound and not kill, the femme was planning on taking an arm or a servo, at least, so that the Energon leakage could be clearly seen. Of course, the crowd might want her to finish the rookie off....

Wildfire reached the mech and brought her left arm around for a swing, prepared to knock off one of her desired targets. To her surprise, the Cybertronian managed to dodge the attack by leaning back, then found herself skidding backwards with a hit to the chest.

"They didn't tell me Wildfire was a femme!" the mech called out. It seemed that Wildfire's actions managed to get the fighter out of him.

"And they didn't tell me you'd be weapon-less," Wildfire snarled in return. "How do you expect to win here?" She dashed forward again, bringing her blades around for another attempt at inflicting damage. This time, the mech didn't move, instead catching the blades on his crossed arms.

Grinning, Wildfire dug the blades deeper into the mech's armor, only for her optic ridges to shoot up upon discovering that they wouldn't go in.

"New alloy," the mech stated, noting the look. He started to push back, Wildfire's feet digging into the arena floor. "I found it much more useful."

Wildfire let out a grunt. "So you did some homework. Good." She started to push back, not exactly liking that they hadn't gotten to any fighting yet. "You'd better not have done it for just _defense_!" The femme pushed with what strength she had as she spoke the last word, hoping to force the mech off-balance in order to gain some leverage in the fight.

The mech, who was definitely starting to appear more confident, didn't seem at all fazed by Wildfire's attempts to unbalance him. However, his body wasn't prepared for the force that was provided, and he was sent tumbling backward onto his backside. "Oof!"

Wildfire was on him in an instant, slashing with her vibroblades in order to try and deal some damage to the mech. However, the alloy appeared to not only be covering his arms, but his chest, as well.

The mech glared at her, then pushed her off and jumped to his feet. "There's a reason I don't carry any weapons," he muttered.

"Oh?" Wildfire and he started to circle, neither taking their optics off the other for a moment. "And why is that, greenie?"

The femme got her answer when an electric shock passed through her systems, and her circuits froze up and she stumbled backwards. Looking over at the mech, she caught sight of a pair of pure electric whips that spiraled down his arms and dangled from his servos. Above them, the crowd was shouting in surprise upon seeing the weapons the gladiator was carrying.

"My name isn't Greenie, Electro, or whatever else they told you," the mech stated. "It's Jolt."

Wildfire shook her head as her systems sent warnings to her processor concerning possible EMP damage. The gladiator ignored it -- she figured that she had suffered worse. "Jolt, huh? Suits you." She felt an energy of some sort build up in her chest, and a sneering grin appeared on her face. "Just like Wildfire suits me."

There was an explosion of energy as fire appeared out of nowhere on Wildfire's arms, curling around the limbs and entering her vibroblades, earning gasps from those who didn't know and loud cheers from those who did.

Jolt's optics widened, and Wildfire took her opening. Dashing forward, she brought her blades together and slashed through Jolt's upper right arm.

So the alloy _didn't_ cover everything. Good, because otherwise this battle would have become rather tedious.

The crowd started yelling out different phrases that essentially demanded she finish the mech off. Wildfire, ignoring the yells, simply turned and walked out of the arena.

"You could have made it a little more showy," the black and white mech stated as Wildfire walked in, sheathing her blades. "They don't get as loud for you as they do for--"

"Yeah, well, I'm not him," Wildfire responded stiffly. "And make sure that greenie gets to a medic -- if he's going to be of any real help, it'd be with his arm back on to make sure he doesn't leak any Energon. _Now_ better than _later_ , Barricade."

Barricade raised an optic ridge at the femme's attitude, but said nothing. Instead, he turned and ran off, yelling for someone to find one of the medics who had decided to help out when they weren't on-shift at their actual jobs.

Wildfire watched him go with an indifferent look, then sat down on the crate she had been using as a seat before being called out to fight in the arena. Almost instantly, her circuits froze up again -- an after-effect of the electricity that was most likely coursing through her systems. Clenching her denta in annoyance at the pain, she clenched her servos in order to try and divert her attention elsewhere. This caught the attention of a passing figure.

"Wildfire, something wrong?"

The femme gladiator moved her gaze slightly, catching sight of a red and white figure who looked like she had stopped mid-step.

"Just some electrical interference, First Aid," Wildfire responded through her denta. "Jolt took me off guard a little."

"The newbie?" First Aid came over, prepared to give Wildfire a quick scan in order to determine what sort of course of action to take concerning Wildfire's freezing systems.

"Yeah. The fact that he picked a name for himself...." Wildfire shook her head, flinching a little from the movement as another surge hit her systems. "I didn't get a full name until a few Orbital-cycles ago."

"Who knows how long ago he might have had his name given to him? He could have been given it at the Well of AllSparks, for all you and I know." First Aid nodded slightly and pulled back. "The surges should stop in a cycle or two. Nothing in your systems appears to be permanently damaged."

"Good." Wildfire relaxed her face as the wave of pain past. "I wouldn't want to be hindered the next time I got into a fight." She looked up at the medic. "Who's looking after the new kid?"

"Barricade ran off yelling something about finding a medic who had traveled here from Iacon." First Aid shrugged. "I doubt that he's going to be around for long, though."

"So it's a mech."

"Aren't they usually?" First Aid shook her head. "I doubt that he's going to be staying for long, although his help is greatly appreciated."

Wildfire noticed a look in First Aid's soft blue optics. "You like him, don't you?" she asked with a sly smirk.

First Aid gave Wildfire a look of surprise. "W-what! No! You have to be joking!"

"I crack jokes when I find the need to." Wildfire was enjoying getting the reaction out of the medic -- it wasn't often that the two managed to converse, and the electrical surges were causing the warrior-femme to become a little more loosened up emotionally than normal. "Usually when I want to insult my opponent."

First Aid sighed, but a smile still remained fixed on her face. "The electrical surges must be affecting your processor. There's _no way_ you can act like this normally. I recommend staying away from that arena for a few more cycles than normal. I'm going to tell the boss." She turned and walked off without another word.

Wildfire watched the medic go with a smirk on her face, but it soon faded to an indifferent look as she thought back to the fight she had just participated in. Jolt's actions in the arena were unusual -- even more so than who she had fought in the past. And that technique....

No one was able to expel electricity like that. At least, no one that Wildfire knew of. Cybertronians who were capable of creating pure energy weapons were unheard of, and Wildfire never liked to reveal her own ability all that often. It made her feel like she was going to be hunted down by members of the scientist caste and forced to participate in experiments that kept her from the arena -- which was really the only thing that she truly enjoyed, other than looking into ways to upgrade her vibroblades or the cannons that shared the storage space in her arms.

She preferred physical contact with the opponent, feeling the metal bending and crushing underneath her force. The cannons worked best for taking down some of the slightly larger opponents, allowing her to wound, then go in for the kill.

It seemed, however, that Jolt was incapable of using his weapons -- or even getting an upgrade, for that matter. The electricity must be more involved in his systems than the fiery power Wildfire carried.

The femme shook her head. This wasn't something that she was interested in. Jolt wasn't her problem, like she wasn't his.

Still...it would be nice to get some of that alloy he had been wearing added to her own armor....


	2. Chapter 2

**Extra (1) -- location and hobby**

_"Despite what it sounds like, Kaon isn't actually a bad place to live in. Sure, it's probably not as beautiful as Iacon or Crystal City, but it kinda grows on you after a while. I've lived there for most of my life, and I know how to get around pretty well. Unfortunately, I can't go everywhere._

_"See, when I came into being, there was this thing that kept me from doing everything and going everywhere that I wanted to. It's called 'the caste system' by everybody else, but I just called it 'the repression society.' I mean, these people who run the planet pick where you're going to end up as soon as your Spark signal is registered. Some Cybertronians are chosen to be officers of the law, painters, musicians, members of the army...while everybody else gets sent to the factories where they make life better for everybody else. That's where I ended up. I'd probably still be blowing stuff up if I hadn't gone to actually see a gladiator fight in person. Those things were technically illegal, but the High Council seemed to know that it wasn't a good idea to take away our best source of entertainment, so they let it stick around._

_"Just so you know, I have no qualms about offlining Cybertronians, because a large amount of them have died because of industrial accidents right in front of me already. But that doesn't mean that I don't get away with making any friends among the other gladiators. The Boss ended up working around that so I don't end up fighting them to the death."_

**Chapter 2**

Wildfire swirled the Energon around in her cube as she watched the monitor that showed what was taking place above in the gladiatorial arena, the sound lowered to the point that one could barely hearing what was being said in the crowd. It had been a few cycles since her scuffle with Jolt, and, like First Aid had predicted, the electrical surges no longer plagued her. However, she had yet to be cleared to enter the arena herself, and the femme's servos twitched at the thought of being unable to feel a victim's frame crush underneath them.

On the monitor, a silver and purple mech was battling three others, who had moved in complete unison when they had initially charged.

Wildfire's optics narrowed slightly as she watched the unfair match-up. _Combiners. Great. Only he could be able to withstand a direct attack from those things._

"He" meant Megatronus, who really seemed to be having a field day with his maces and one of his victims.

"Another group of combiners?"

Wildfire turned her head, watching as a light blue Cybertronian approached -- Jolt, who had long since had his arm reattached and was slowly recovering full use of it. The medic who had come in from Iacon -- Ratchet, Wildfire recalled that his name was -- had discovered that the alloy, while being near-indestructible, also allowed Jolt to have more control over his electrical discharges than the other alloys available for armor upgrades.

Jolt had ended up explaining that he had come up with the alloy himself, a few Mega-cycles before he had gotten into being a gladiator. Those present at the time ended up asking if the mech had lived in Crystal City beforehand.

"Does he get outnumbered like this often?" Jolt asked, getting Wildfire back to the present.

"Sheesh, where have you been all your life? Under a rock?" Wildfire asked. "Megatronus has been known to fight outnumbered battles like this before."

Jolt gave the femme a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I didn't get access to the Grid all that often, back where I came from."

"Hmph. And where did you come from? The scientist caste?"

Jolt shook his head. "I worked in one of the power stations in Iacon."

"Well, that explains your little power surge." Wildfire's gaze moved back to the monitor, taking a sip from her cube.

"So...where did you work?" Jolt sounded nervous, but equally curious.

Wildfire sent him a look. "Demolition." Her gaze soon returned to the monitor, the femme hoping that the curious mech would take a hint and leave her alone.

The two remaining combiners in the arena merged together, creating some sort of crazy monster that looked like something that had come from the Underworld. It was going to be interesting to see how Megatronus was going to handle this one.

"Is he going to go through with it?"

Wildfire's glare moved back to Jolt.

"Try to get rid of the castes, I mean," the mech amended. "Do you think he'd be able to do it?"

Wildfire's gaze returned to the monitor. "Megatronus can do a lot of things," she stated carefully.

"But can he do what he's been talking about?" Jolt persisted. "I heard a few of his speeches. He sounds like he's not going to back down if the High Council decides to hunt him down."

"He won't," Wildfire replied. "He's going to do what he can to remove the caste system from Cybertron. I plan on living to see that day." Her voice was filled with conviction.

On the monitor, Megatronus had successfully taken the combiner down from its lofty perch and was now proceeding to butcher it mercilessly while the crowd roared with excitement. Wildfire's servos twitched; she wanted to be the one out there, crushing the disgusting combiner's Sparks.

"He looks like he's enjoying himself," Jolt noted.

" 'Tronus has always fought like that," another voice stated.

Wildfire turned her helm, catching sight of a dark blue Cybertronian approaching, carrying a large, golden spear with glowing blue Energon lines.

"Hey, Wildfire," the mech greeted.

"Sparkseer," Wildfire greeted, giving a stiff nod. "Have you been watching this?"

"I was in my quarters when it started. They have it up on all the monitors from here to the storage vault." Sparkseer's electric blue gaze turned to Jolt, who was looking up at the tall Cybertronian with surprise. "So, you're the electric newbie I've been hearing about the last few cycles."

The other nodded. "The name's Jolt."

"Sparkseer, but you already knew that." A smile made its way onto the Cybertronian's face. "What made you want to become a gladiator? It's not exactly easy."

"It was better than the one I had. Monitoring power levels all cycle bored me out of my processor." Jolt gave Sparkseer a curious look. "What about you? You don't look like you came from where Wildfire did."

Sparkseer shrugged. "I was a part of one of the lower classes for the scientist caste, but they never let me do any of the experiments that I had suggested. I came here to find a change of pace -- and maybe get to work with Tronus' medic, Shockwave."

Wildfire's optics narrowed slightly at the mentioning of the scientist Megatronus had managed to convince to join the cause. "Seer, Shockwave is crazy. I wouldn't trust him to teach me -- or for me to even be near him during one of his experiments." She gave him a suspicious look. "You've used that gift of yours enough times around him. Can't you tell?"

"Gift?" Jolt repeated, looking at Wildfire in surprise. "Want do you mean?"

"Like you two, I was given an unusual ability. I can see the energy levels of Sparks and determine their emotions." Sparkseer chuckled at the look of shock he was getting from Jolt. "And yes, Wildfire, I am aware of Shockwave's intentions, and have given up attempting to work with him."

Wildfire's glare intensified. "Did you _have_ to tell him?"

"It would only be a matter of time before he found out himself, Fire. Cool down." Sparkseer turned to look at the monitor, where Megatronus was throwing parts of the combiner into the crowd and yelling out something that they couldn't quite hear. As usual, the crowd ate it up, fighting over the parts that the gladiator was tossing up.

"Another cycle, another kill," Wildfire muttered noncommittally with a wave of her servo.

"How can you be so careless about it?" Jolt asked, turning to face Wildfire. "Those combiners could have had a life beyond the gladiatorial ring!"

"I tend to not dwell on that sort of thing. So long as the opponent is someone I can have a challenge in fighting, I don't need to wonder." Wildfire finished off the Energon cube in her servo and walked over to a slowly-growing pile of empty cubes next to the wall, adding her own to it.

Jolt looked at her with surprise, only to look up at Sparkseer when he placed a servo on his right shoulder.

"Wildfire has seen a lot of violence, Jolt," the tall mech murmured. "You're lucky you managed to get that many words out of her."

"Not one for talking, I guess."

"I prefer to let my swords do the talking," Wildfire responded, coming over. She had brought out her left vibroblade and was inspecting its edge. "I'm definitely going to have to ask if I can get this sharpened. Your alloy dulled it a little." She sheathed the weapon.

"Uh...sorry?" Jolt looked a little nervous.

"Happens all the time. You just sped it up a little."

"Have you heard the crowds?" asked a new voice.

Jolt jumped in surprise as a gray Cybertronian femme appeared out of nowhere, dull red and yellow creating stripes across her form.

"What is it, Shape-Change?" Sparkseer asked, turning his attention to the newcomer.

"Our leader has a new name," Shape-Change stated. "Megatron."

The group of four fell silent upon hearing these words, allowing for the news to sink in.

Wildfire was the first to voice her opinion on the name. "At least he doesn't sound like some sort of myth that came back from the dead." Her tone was bitter.

"He's still going to be treated as one," Sparkseer stated with a slight smile. "I mean, come on -- I doubt that any gladiator has lasted as long as he has. Or had the courage to take out the old bosses."

"Old bosses?" Jolt repeated, frowning.

"Last cycle's news, greenie," Wildfire replied carelessly. " _Megatron_ is looking into bigger things."

"Do not expect the caste system to be so easy to remove, Wildfire," Shape-Change stated flatly. "It was put in by a Prime. Megatron may have great power, but he is no Prime. The High Council may put us down -- for good."

Sparkseer gave Shape-Change an intrigued look. "You know, for someone from the factories, you sound like someone who should have been out in the research caste," he noted.

Shape-Change gave Sparkseer a blank look, hiding whatever her emotions were.

"Then consider yourself lucky that I was capable of slipping into the Hall of Records in Iacon for those scant few Mega-Cycles," she stated stiffly.

"You've been to Iacon?" Jolt asked, optics wide.

"It was arranged for me to go there in order to fulfill a few errands." Shape-Change gave him a curious look. "Why?"

"I used to work there -- in one of the power stations. How did you manage to get into the Hall of Records? The only people who are really allowed in there are the people who work there!"

"My secret," Shape-Change responded in a tone that sounded like she didn't want to continue the conversation. Her head turned slightly, catching sight of a figure in the distance. "If you will excuse me." With that, she walked off without another word.

Jolt watched Shape-Change go with a look of confusion on his face. Sparkseer took note and chuckled.

"Don't mind her," he stated. "Shape-Change just likes to keep to herself and her mentor, Soundwave. I haven't seen her reveal any sort of burst of emotion."

"Nor I," Wildfire added calmly. Her gaze moved to the monitor again, which showed the arena being used by a pair of Insecticons who were being pitted against each other by two other Cybertronians who stood on hovering platforms above the arena.

"What do you guys know about her?" Jolt asked.

Wildfire shot the mech a look. "You shouldn't poke into others' pasts," she hissed.

"Besides, we know little to nothing about Shape-Change," Sparkseer added. "No one does, and we're pretty sure she'd like to keep it that way."

"Still, it's a weird name, though...." Jolt frowned. "I mean, who calls themselves Shape-Change?"

There was a silent pause, before one of the group spoke up.

"What do you know of shifters?" Sparkseer inquired curiously, cocking his helm slightly as he looked down at Jolt.

The other looked up at him in surprise. "Shifters? I've only heard --" He stopped short and looked in the direction Shape-Change had gone, then back at Sparkseer. "Are you saying she's --"

"Indeed. A femme of multiple forms, as well as multiple armaments." Sparkseer looked over at Wildfire. "What was it that one mech called her? A 'walking arsenal'?"

"Something like that," Wildfire replied indifferently. In reality, she was jealous of her friend, for she wanted to have access to that many weapons, as well. "Shape-Change is a femme of darkness, as well as one of habit."

Jolt blinked, then frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The femme fights like one who has experience with Circuit-Su," Sparkseer stated. His optics lingered on the monitor for a moment -- a pair of mechs were going at each other with swords twice their size -- then continued, "As with the other shifter in the area, she prefers to remain in the shadows when she fights. Provoke her, and the fight will end up worse off for you than before, as her number of weapons used will increase exponentially." The mech fingered his staff, eyeing the glowing blue lines. "I am due for a spar with Lugnut. If you'll excuse me." With that, Sparkseer turned around and walked away.

"I have something to do, as well," Wildfire quickly added. "My blades won't sharpen themselves." She started off for her quarters, leaving Jolt standing alone in front of the monitor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Extra (2) -- Names**

_"If you say anything about our names sounding a little funny, I'm telling you now to go and stuff it up you species' version of an exhaust pipe._

" _When we first were assigned to our proper castes, we weren't lucky enough to even_ get _names. We got nicknames according to where we worked -- all numbers and letters -- but nothing else. The actual names went to those in the higher castes -- the ones that weren't in danger of dying every other cycle._

_"I picked my name not too long after I managed to get into a fight with a couple coworkers, who were trying to harass me for being the only femme-bot in the sector -- something about ones with daintier servos going into daintier work or something. They'd been suspected of having warped processors. Anyway, my temper exploded, and I pretty much melted the legs of my attackers. Almost got the rest of them, but I managed to rein in some control -- I was just as surprised as they were. The mechs already called me 'Wild femme' because of my temper and personality, so I just took two of the words and put them together -- Wildfire._

_"Course, not everyone makes up their own names -- at least, not at first. I mean, Megatronus borrowed the name from one of the mythical Thirteen original Primes, which I thought was just plain egotistical. Megatron was a little better...but not by much. The names were too close together. Much too close."_

**Chapter 3**

"...what I can't believe is that some 'bots out there have taken the matter of caste into their own hands," Jolt was saying. "I mean, I know we're gladiators, but that doesn't mean violence is the only answer."

"Greenie, since when did you have to go all philosophical on us?" Wildfire asked, looking up from her inspection of her arm. "And when did you learn how to make this alloy, anyway? It's something for the scientist caste, not a power plant worker."

"It's...something I came up with when I wasn't working," Jolt replied, looking a little nervous. "It is working for you, right?"

"Hasn't messed with my systems yet."

Jolt looked over at Sparkseer, who appeared to be lost in thought. "There's no way that Megatron could have been ordering those attacks, right? It's not going to help to forward our cause, will it?"

"If anything, Megatron will have to somehow manage to convince everyone that he wasn't part of those actions in the first place," Sparkseer replied. "How he will manage to do such a thing at a mass scale, however, is the question, as everyone is seeing him as the source of the trouble. He has, after all, announced his intentions rather quickly."

"We are being kept out of the loop."

Shape-Change appeared beside Wildfire, who sent the shifter a curious look. Jolt, however, still looked nervous -- he wasn't used to the shifter's mode of travel.

"Soundwave refuses to teach me more hacking techniques; he claims to be busy with something else," the shifter explained.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Wildfire replied calmly. "I do want the castes to end, but I'm not too keen on joining up with whatever 'forces' Megatron's been gathering from the arenas for the past few cycles. They're being kept away from the arenas for some reason...."

"He talked to you, too?" Jolt gawked.

"Yeah. What's it to you?"

"He told me I could help out if I managed to gain more experience!"

"Not surprised," Shape-Change noted. "You are still a rookie."

"I'm getting better!"

Wildfire rolled her optics. "How long ago did you get out of the Well of AllSparks, Jolt? A few Mega-Cycles ago?"

"No...more like two Tera-Cycles ago, probably."

Wildfire looked at Jolt in surprise. The mech was younger than her by about an Orbital-Cycle, and yet he acted like _this_? Obviously, the Cybertronian hadn't fully matured mentally just yet.

"You haven't experienced what Cybertron has to offer, then," Sparkseer noted, passing over Wildfire's gaze without a second thought. "If Megatron lets us head out, I'm going to give you a thorough tour of Kaon."

" _If_ I let you," a voice agreed.

The four turned to see Megatron approaching, towering over even Sparkseer's height. Beside him was a slightly shorter Cybertronian who probably came up to about Sparkseer's shoulders. The newcomer was red, blue, and silver, and looked a little nervous upon seeing the spear which Sparkseer never really bothered to put away.

"Orion Pax, these four are members of the more...inexperienced gladiators," Megatron stated carefully. Wildfire stiffened a little as Megatron said this, but said nothing in order to counteract his statement. "Their names are Wildfire, Sparkseer, Shape-Change, and Jolt." Megatron clapped his left servo on the new mech's shoulder. "This is Orion Pax. He is a data clerk from the Hall of Records in Iacon, and a trusted friend of mine."

Wildfire's gaze went over Orion Pax, taking note of the nervous -- but also curious -- look in his optics. "And what is a data clerk doing here, in the pits of Kaon? Thinking about joining up as a gladiator?"

Orion Pax looked a little alarmed at the suggestion, and he shook his helm. "Definitely not."

"Don't worry about Fire, Pax," Sparkseer stated calmly, a nickname already having slipped its way into his processor for this new mech. "She's like that to everybody." He walked forward. "Welcome to Kaon." He held out his free servo for the mech to shake, and Orion nervously accepted the gesture.

"Do you...have to keep that out?" Orion Pax asked, sending a glance at the golden spear Sparkseer held.

"It helps me channel my energies. If I didn't keep it with my constantly...let's just say I wouldn't be capable of assisting Megatron in any way." Sparkseer stepped back a little. "So, how'd you and Megatron meet? You don't seem like the kind of mech who'd come to the arenas on a regular basis."

Orion Pax shook his helm. "I never have. My task in the Hall of Records is to monitor transmissions from all over Cybertron. I came across some of Megatron's speeches, and they've started to get me thinking about the caste system."

Wildfire's optic ridges shot up. This was certainly news. "Megatron's being heard out in Iacon?"

"How else do you think I ended up getting here?" Jolt asked from where he stood behind Wildfire. "Speeches on the Grid tend to travel fast -- especially when a celebrity's involved."

Shape-Change's optics narrowed slightly, but she said nothing.

"Wildfire, there is something I must attend to." The femme looked over at Megatron as he addressed her directly. "I am leaving you in charge of giving Orion Pax a tour of this place, as well as answering any questions you can." With that, the gladiator turned and walked off.

Orion Pax looked a little nervous at the prospect of being left with four gladiators who looked like they could possibly tear his helm right off his shoulders. He also didn't look like he quite believed what Megatron had just done.

"Well, where do you want to head off to first, Fire?" Sparkseer asked as he stretched out his spine. "You've got a lot of ground to cover."

"Me? Oh, no -- you guys are _not_ going to leave me alone with this guy. You're coming, too." Wildfire's gaze went over the group, only to find that Shape-Change had disappeared, as was her wont.

"Sorry -- I managed to secure a training session with Barricade," Jolt stated. With that, he took off at a run, leaving the group behind.

"Cowardly newbie," Wildfire muttered. She sent Sparkseer a slightly pleading glance -- not bothering to even glance at Orion Pax, who was also sending the blue Cybertronian an identical look.

Sparkseer chuckled. "All right, no need to become too distraught. I'll stay."

Wildfire nodded her approval. "Good." She looked over at Orion Pax. "Let's see how well the data clerk can handle watching a training session." She started to walk off, Sparkseer and Orion Pax following.

"How long have you been here?" Orion Pax asked, keeping in step with Sparkseer not to far behind Wildfire.

"Five Orbital-Cycles short of a Tera-Cycle, I should think," Sparkseer stated. "Wildfire hasn't been here for much longer than that."

"But I can still fight better than you do," Wildfire called back. She stopped in front of a large set of double doors. "If we're lucky, someone could be using this right now."

She pushed the doors open, leading the two mechs into a large room that was filled with different sorts of equipment -- mostly immovable targets that looked like most had been dented beyond repair. There was also a shooting range and a large ring, where two figures were sparring, using hand-to-hand combat.

"Jolt and...Barricade, I'm guessing," Orion Pax identified.

"So he wasn't lying," Wildfire muttered. She turned to look at the data clerk. "Do you want to watch?"

Orion Pax thought for a moment, then shook his helm. "Let's leave them be. I know enough of that sparring technique from Jazz."

"Jazz?" Sparkseer repeated, cocking his helm to one side as they started to leave the room.

"A friend of mine -- a cultural investigator."

"Of yet another caste?"

"We have interacted often enough to become friends." Orion Pax's gaze went to Wildfire, who had returned to a spot directly in front of them as they wove their way through the corridors. "Besides Megatron, he is my only friend."

"Interesting."

Wildfire, who had been listening to them talk, rolled her eyes. Sparkseer must have been using his ability, considering how he was speaking and asking Orion Pax so many questions. Watching a Spark's reaction to the questions was one of the ways that the gladiator learned more about a Cybertronian than another who might have done an interrogation session in order to dig into the victim's mind. The mech would most likely end up telling her what he thought of the librarian as soon as Pax was out of sight.

Or he would keep it to himself and force the femme to try and figure out Orion Pax on her own.

**Time Break!**

"...and while some of us have flying alt-modes, aerial gladiatorial fights don't take place as often as those on the ground," Sparkseer finished. "The fliers don't seem to like to hang around here all that often."

"They hate being unable to see the sky above," Wildfire stated. "There are a couple who've told me they're pretty claustrophobic, as well."

Despite Wildfire's best attempts to keep herself cold, Orion Pax and Sparkseer had somehow managed to convince her to come out of her shell somewhat. She had yet to smile in their presence, or even laugh, and the femme would have preferred that she didn't wear her emotions on her sleeve like Sparkseer and the others did. She made it a point to keep her feelings hidden as best as possible.

"You two seem to be much more accommodating than the others," Orion Pax noted as they arrived back at the tour's starting point.

"Megatron told us to answer any questions you had and to give you a tour." Wildfire shrugged. "Around here, his word is law."

"As I had surmised."

"Lord Megatron requests Orion Pax's presence." Shape-Change appeared in front of them, causing the data clerk to jump back in alarm, optics wide.

"Wh-what does he need me for?" the mech stammered, clearly shaken by the shifter's appearance. Wildfire rolled her eyes, but that did not hide the amusement she had gained from the librarian's reaction.

"He needs a public feed into the Grid, one that cannot be hacked."

Sparkseer and Wildfire exchanged a glance.

"Why would he need something like that?" Wildfire asked. "Planning on making a public speech?"

"Yes."

"Most likely about the bombings," Orion Pax murmured, glancing away for a moment. Looking back at Shape-Change, he stated, "Would you take me to him or Soundwave?"

Shape-Change inclined her helm, nodded slightly, then turned and walked off in the direction of a more public area of the gladiator headquarters. Orion Pax was quick to follow.

"This could be interesting to watch," Sparkseer noted thoughtfully. He started to follow them. Wildfire, looking uninterested but feeling the tug of curiosity, followed not too far behind.

The shifter soon led them to where Megatron was standing on top of a platform. Shockwave (that cycloptic, psychotic purple scientist) and Soundwave were nearby, a small robotic bird perched on the latter's right shoulder -- the Minicon known as Laserbeak.

"How was the tour, brother?" Megatron asked. Wildfire stiffened a little upon hearing the last word spoken, wondering if Megatron meant that Orion Pax was a close friend...or was actually his brother. Considering that the femme hadn't actually _seen_ Orion before that cycle, it had to be the former.

"Uneventful, thankfully," Orion Pax replied. "I was told you needed a public channel?"

"Correct. Soundwave tells me that there are some who think that I am responsible for these attacks. I need to inform them of my innocence on the matter."

Sparkseer frowned slightly, but did not make any comment as to the gladiator's statement. Wildfire, catching sight of his facial movements, shot him a look, but the mech shook his helm.

"I shall see what I can do," Orion Pax stated. He looked over at Soundwave, who led him down another corridor and out of sight. As soon as he was gone, Megatron turned his attention to Wildfire.

"I trust he did not give you any trouble?" he inquired.

Wildfire shook her head. "Besides asking a large number of questions, no." She looked back at Megatron. "He's much too curious for my liking."

"His caste are known for being curious, Wildfire. It is in his programming." Megatron motioned, and Shockwave took a few steps towards them. "There are a few things I wish to discuss with the three of you." He sent a look at Shape-Change that clearly said she shouldn't be going anywhere.

"What is it you need of us?" Sparkseer inquired.

"Shockwave has requested to run a few tests on your abilities, in order to see if we can replicate them," Megatron explained.

Wildfire's optics widened. "What?" She sent a glance over at Shape-Change. "Multiple shifters already exist."

"While shifters are much more common than Cybertronians like you two, they are still rare." Shockwave stepped forward. "If I can figure out how to replicate your abilities--"

"No." Wildfire's optics were slits. "I will _not_ allow _anyone_ to mess with my systems, and that's my final word on it."

"I am afraid that I have to agree with Wildfire," Sparkseer stated. "Our abilities were given to only us for a reason. I doubt that they will be replicate-able."

"Mine might be," Shape-Change admitted, "but I do not want to see more of my kind being used for deceitful purposes."

The other femme of the group shot Shape-Change a curious look that bordered on suspicion, but the shifter refused to elaborate on her statement.

Before Shockwave could say anything more to try and convince them otherwise, Orion Pax and Soundwave returned. Behind them flew a small robot drone outfitted with a camera, which was connected directly into the Grid.

"It is done," Orion stated, motioning to the camera.

Megatron nodded, then motioned for the gladiators in the area to come closer and form a crowd around him as he prepared to begin his speech, the camera floating to a position somewhere a little beyond those at the fringe, hovering at about an even height with Sparkseer's helm.

"I had nothing to do with these attacks, but I do not deny the possibility that the Cybertronians who carried them out were partly inspired by my belief that every Cybertronian has the right to self-determination."

Megatron made a sweeping motion with one arm over the crowd -- whether for an after-effect or something else, Wildfire wasn't sure. "I pity the loss of life, but how many of those who died took pleasure from watching me fight for my life in the gladiatorial pits below Kaon? How many other Cybertronians died for the pleasure? Now those Cybertronians, whose lives were your pleasure, are telling you that they reclaim their lives! No Cybertronian shall tell any other Cybertronian what can and cannot be done!"

"Amen to that," Wildfire muttered. Sparkseer sent her a sidelong glance, but said nothing to add to her statement; the femme had spoken for both herself and her two friends. The mech soon returned his gaze to its original position, which had been, oddly enough, centered on Orion Pax, who had been hanging back to give Megatron the full spotlight.

"I am Megatron. I lead all those who choose to follow me, and I repudiate all those who perform despicable acts in my name. I do not fight with bombs but with logic. I do not believe in killing, but in the arena of ideas. Let the perpetrators of these attacks feel the full weight of Cybertronian justice." He pointed at the camera with a sharpened digit on his right servo -- the arm that had a rather large barrel of some sort that Wildfire had seen Shockwave tinkering with whenever she had passed the crazed scientist's quarters on her way to another section of the arena's passageways.

Megatron's face contorted into a snarl. "If I find them first, my justice will be swifter and more final."

As if in response to this, the previously-darkened monitors that were positioned around the room lit up as one, bringing up feeds from who-knows-where; Wildfire suspected that Soundwave and Shape-Change had managed to hack into the Grid to show what was going on over the communication channels in some of the other castes.

From the looks of things, it was from those that were much higher up.

"Our new friend appears a bit concerned," Sparkseer noted softly, getting Wildfire's attention moved from the monitors.

Wildfire frowned upon seeing the rather startled look on the archivist's face. Whatever it was that had set the Cybertronian from Iacon off, it couldn't have been too much -- Wildfire was certain that she had probably seen more disturbing things than Orion Pax had.

The femme looked back at Sparkseer curiously. "So? What's that got to do to anything? It's probably nothing."

Sparkseer shook his helm slightly. "Fear can make a mech do strange things," he spoke sagely. "Especially when that mech has the ambition and inexperience to back it."

Wildfire raised an optic ridge and was about to ask what Sparkseer meant by this when Orion Pax stepped out of the shadows and into view of the camera.

"I am Orion Pax," he stated boldly, no sign of the shock that had previously been on his features. "I am a data miner at the Hall of Records in Iacon, working under Alpha Trion himself. I am here to testify that Megatron is not responsible for what is happening."

The monitors that were looking into the communication feeds promptly exploded into a high-speed frenzy that caused the Cybertronians watching them to jump back in surprise. Orion Pax, as well, stumbled back a step in surprise. Wildfire wondered whether this "data miner" had his processor locked onto the Grid, so he was aware of what was being said. Did he have to leave his processor connected to it almost all the time?

Shape-Change shook her head slightly. "I doubt the mech is as crazy or unstable as those in the higher castes claim," she murmured. Wildfire noticed that the shifter wasn't staring at the monitors, and wondered if she had her processor connected to the Grid like Orion Pax's probably was.

"No," Orion Pax stated, shaking his helm. Wildfire figured that he was answering the feeds that were being sent on the Grid. "I have known Megatron. He did not do this. Neither did I. All of you _must listen._ You _must_ understand."

Wildfire snorted, a noise that went unheard from most of those around her. "I doubt that they will, considering how mad they are about us planning on getting rid of the castes. He's just joined our little group, whether he likes it or not."

"You don't sound happy about that," Sparkseer noted.

"And you are?"

"He is proof that Megatron had managed to reach out to a different caste." Sparkseer shrugged. "I don't see why he can't be a part of this."

"Like he'll be of any help to us. He probably doesn't know how to fight very well, much less want to." Wildfire scrutinized Orion Pax, who had motioned for the camera to come a little closer to him and Megatron so that he could try to state his argument a little more clearly, but the femme couldn't hear what he was saying over the grumbling from her fellow gladiators. "I mean, what sort of help can _he_ give in this?"

"He managed to get that camera drone connected to the Grid," Sparkseer pointed out. "Programming skills like that could prove useful."

"Soundwave can already do that," Wildfire replied dismissively. She looked over at Shape-Change, who nodded in confirmation.

"Soundwave does not have easy access to archived data, however," the shifter spoke. "Orion Pax works in the Hall of Records every single cycle. If Megatron needs to look up data on a past event, the data miner has access to the files stored there."

"Is that what he is to us, then? A librarian?" Wildfire crossed her arms over her chest, raising an optic ridge. "He shouldn't have to come here at all, then. Why did Megatron even let him _in?"_

"Data miners do not get to see the world outside of Iacon," Shape-Change stated softly. "To go to another population center is one thing, but to come here and see our base of operations is entirely different. Have you not seen the way he looks around at every corner of our home?"

Sparkseer nodded slightly. "Indeed. Like one who has just come out of the Well of AllSparks. He carried that same curiosity during the tour Wildfire and I led him on."

"Orion Pax has been truly brought into the world, now. However, it is most likely not in the original way he might have intended. He has been thrust into our revolution...and he can't turn back."


	4. Chapter 4

**Extra (3) -- Raising young and oddballs**

_"I'm aware that there are probably different ways that different alien species raise their young and such, so you've probably got a bunch of questions as to how our society is run. Here's the gist of it: we come out of the AllSpark in the bodies we're going to be living in for our entire life-cycle, but we don't have all the knowledge we're going to need in order to actually be able to survive. Then we get sent to this learning-hub, where we're separated into the different castes we're going to be working in and are taught accordingly. After that, we're dumped in our section of the planet and left there to work until we die._

_"There are the occasional few, though, who come out as oddballs that hardly anybody knows what to do with. Shifters are a good example. Normally, they're sent to join the lower castes, where they eventually rise up to become either bounty hunters or spies. Shape-Change is one of the few who decided to be restricted by being a gladiator...most of the time. Even after spending so long getting to know her as a friend, I have no clue as to what she did in her time between training under Soundwave and beating up other gladiators in the arena. Sparkseer, Jolt, and I are_ probably _the only ones of our kind: those with abilities that were in our bodies naturally, rather than having them added after getting shipped off to our separate castes. There have been a couple scientists (Shockwave) who have tried to learn more about our abilities, but they haven't gotten anywhere -- Primus knows_ why _we even have these strange powers."_

**Chapter 4**

"Shape-Change!"

Wildfire looked around in annoyance as she stomped into the shifter's quarters. "Get out here, will ya? I want to talk to you about something."

"You mean interrogate for knowledge," Shape-Change responded, not coming out of whatever shadow she had decided to hide in at that point in time. The shifter's quarters were dark for a reason: she preferred it to the more brightly-lit corridors of the gladiatorial pyramid that made up the base of Megatron's operations in Kaon. It provided her with a cover that mimicked the camouflage technique Shape-Change was capable of deploying, only without her having to use up any of her Energon ration.

Wildfire snorted. "Not surprising that you heard," she noted dryly. "I know you hear everything, and I want to know something." The femme crossed her arms over her chest and started tapping her right foot impatiently on the ground. "If you show yourself and answer my questions, I won't bug you again about this."

Shape-Change stepped out from behind a large storage case that contained weapons and tools that could be used to repair minor injuries if the need arose -- a must-have for most gladiators. "What is it that you want to know, Wildfire?"

"It's about what you've been telling Sparkseer and what the other gladiators have been muttering," Wildfire stated flatly. "There's something going on, and I don't like being left out of the loop about it."

Shape-Change looked at Wildfire with a calm look, infuriating the warrior-femme by saying nothing for a klik.

"It's about the bombings," the shifter finally stated. "It's being said that...." Shape-Change hesitated, glancing over at a corner of her quarters.

"It's being said that what?" Wildfire prompted, impatient. "Don't leave me hanging, Shape-Change. I want more of an answer than that."

Shape-Change looked back at Wildfire. "What do you think of our leader?"

The question caught the warrior-femme a little off guard, which only showed in her optics. "What do I think of Megatron? That he's our only hope for getting rid of these castes."

"Do you think he can be trusted?"

"He has said plenty of times that he detests lying," Wildfire responded. "You've heard him as well as I have."

Shape-Change's shoulders sagged slightly, but they straightened up again. "It has been said that Megatron planned the attacks and then lied about being involved."

Wildfire stiffened. _This_ was something she hadn't been expecting. "What?"

Shape-Change took a slight step back; when Wildfire was told something that she didn't exactly expect, anything could happen from her understanding the situation to tearing up the surrounding area. "He's been planning on doing this in order to get word across to the higher castes; it's a part of his plan to cause the boundaries between castes to dissolve."

Wildfire blinked in confusion upon hearing this, but her optics soon hardened into a determined and angry expression. "I don't believe you."

Shape-Change's optics widened slightly upon hearing this. "I am not one to lie, Wildfire."

"Still, Megatron wouldn't do something like that. He's not the kind of mech who--"

"Like he did with the old gladiator bosses?" Shape-Change's expression had become hard, as well. "Wildfire, he is a warrior -- we all are. Fighting comes naturally for us, unlike those of the other castes. And, for Megatron, it comes first. Do you recall when Orion Pax was here? When our leader spoke out across the Grid?" Not waiting for even a nod of confirmation from the warrior femme, the shifter stated, "Did his speech not sound rehearsed to you?"

Wildfire frowned, thinking back to what had occurred when the "data miner" -- who was being referred to as "the librarian" among the gladiators who disliked him -- had been in the area. The speech, now that the femme thought about it, had sounded strange, like it wasn't just thought up in a nanoklik's time, but Megatron had been known to be capable of coming up with things that sounded rehearsed when the situation asked for a quick speech about something he hadn't spoken of yet.

Still, there was the occasion when the femme had walked by his quarters and had heard him muttering something, his voice rising and falling like it _might_ have been....

Wildfire shook the thought from her processor. "I'm still not sure if I should believe you, SC. Megatron's our only hope of getting the castes gotten rid of."

"As we have heard." Shape-Change was starting to look slightly annoyed, which surprised Wildfire; the shifter had never even _smiled,_ and she was getting _annoyed_? "However, that doesn't change the fact that we are not being told everything. Soundwave is no longer giving me lessons because Megatron has him running errands for one reason or another, and I have been unable to decipher what he has been doing or why." The shifter quickly regained her composure, holding her head a little higher. "You are not the only one who is being kept out of the loop, Wildfire."

Wildfire blinked for a moment, taking all of the information in that Shape-Change had just told her. Her optics narrowed slightly. "You're a spy, aren't you? Figure it out."

"Soundwave has optics and audio sensors everywhere." Shape-Change was starting to become flustered, which caused concern to well up within the fire-using femme. "He would stop me or feed me false information if he ever found me trying to find something out."

"Are you saying that you've tried?" Wildfire looked her friend over. "And what is up with you? SC, you're acting really weird."

Shape-Change took in a breath, her cooling fans kicking in as the flustered look disappeared. "This is why I keep my quarters dark -- it's the only place I feel comfortable releasing pent-up emotions. Despite how I act, I was not built to be an emotionless being."

Wildfire frowned slightly. "No one said anyone ever was."

"I am learning from Soundwave, Wildfire. Almost everyone in this building thinks I am." Shape-Change crossed her arms over her chest and sent a glare at Wildfire, any cover behind an emotional barrier now gone. "What is more important now is that Megatron is up to something, and we need to figure out what beyond the bombings."

Wildfire held up her servos in a defensive gesture. " 'We'? I'm sorry, SC, but I'm not going to be doing that. Spying and information gathering is your thing."

"I am not allowed to go everywhere because of my status as a shifter," Shape-Change stated bitterly. "It was hard enough trying to slip into the Hall of Records when Soundwave took me there for an attempt to data mine. Primus had to have been keeping a close optic on me if the Head Archivist didn't look at me suspiciously when I was working my way through the data banks." She looked at Wildfire with a serious gaze, optics hard. "Megatron is going to be heading out shortly. I want you to follow him and see where he goes and what he does."

Wildfire frowned. "And why are you asking _me?_ Not Sparkseer or Jolt?"

"Jolt is not an option. He is much too eager to simply follow blindly. Sparkseer is incapable of traveling freely, as he is forced to keep his spear out of sub space for fear of his ability starting to wear away at his circuits more quickly. He relies on it to live a relatively normal life cycle, you know that as well as I do." Shape-Change's stoic look collapsed into a pleading one. "Please, Wildfire. He seems to be most comfortable around you, out of all of us."

Wildfire stumbled back a step upon hearing this. "What do you mean by _that_?"

"I know he went to your quarters a few times over the past few cycles to speak with you. He hasn't set foot in Sparkseer's quarters, and hasn't even walked down this corridor for reasons which are unknown to me. I would think that your battle style and attitude are the reasons for these interactions."

Wildfire frowned upon hearing this. "That's all it takes?"

Shape-Change nodded slightly. "All I need you to do is follow him. If you're seen by him, come up with an excuse that will let you come along."

Wildfire considered the shifter's statement. While it was true that Megatron had come to her quarters often in order to speak with her on the subject of the castes and what she thought of certain things, she didn't suspect that she was at all in the gladiator's favor. And it was true that the femme had lived in Kaon all her life-cycle; while she had never considered traveling to the other hubs of civilization that were the cities that dotted the planet, other gladiators had and come back with stories involving the sights they had seen in Slaughter City or out on the Badlands. Wildfire had considered looking out for an opportune time when she could go out herself and see those other gladiatorial hubs. Perhaps now she would get that chance....

"All right," Wildfire stated, "I'll do it."

Shape-Change nodded slightly, a look of relief coming across her features. "Thanks you, Wildfire. You have no idea how much of a debt you've put me in."

"Yeah, yeah. Any idea where Megatron's heading out to?"

"Yes. Iacon. He is meeting Orion Pax there in a covert gladiatorial arena placed under the observatory."

Wildfire stiffened, and her optics narrowed. "The librarian? I'm going to have to deal with _his_ company?"

"Only if you end up showing yourself to Megatron," Shape-Change stated. "I can lend you one of my replacements for the Light Refractors I carry in order keep myself hidden, if you really want to stay out of sight that much."

Wildfire frowned, then shook her head. "No, I don't like using those. The last time I did, it was too uncomfortable not being able to see myself. I'll follow them the old-fashioned way." The warrior femme turned and started to exit the shifter's quarters. "And I'm going to want an excuse that will cover my tracks. Especially from Jolt."

"Understood. I have already calculated different possible excuses and come up with a good cover." Shape-Change gave Wildfire a nod. "Come straight to me when you return and tell me what you found out."

Wildfire raised an optic ridge at this statement as she glanced back at the shifter, but the warrior femme gave a nod in return and stepped out into the corridor.

"Now, to find Megatron," she muttered, and took off down the corridor towards the main entrance -- no doubt Megatron would be leaving from there with some escort.

Within a few kliks, the femme had managed to make it to the entrance, where Megatron stood with Shockwave and a small crowd of gladiators who looked exceedingly eager about something.

"I am traveling to Iacon to have a talk with the mech who joined our cause," the gray and purple mech stated, looking out over the crowd as Wildfire watched from the corridor entrance, remaining in the shadows. "Shockwave was going to travel with me, but he had more pressing matters to attend to, and thus cannot take the intended route to Iacon. However, one of you can."

The group of gladiators started to shift from one foot to the other and murmur to each other. Everyone was looking forward to being the one Megatron chose to go to the city -- or hoping that Megatron wouldn't chose them because they didn't want to be anywhere near Orion Pax. Wildfire could clearly see Jolt among them, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet, looking eager to move. The warrior femme couldn't see his expression because the blue mech was facing Megatron, but she was sure that the walking power generator was looking up at the gladiator with a hopeful expression.

Megatron's red-optic gaze went over the crowd, searching for a worthy candidate that could go with him to the city. Wildfire decided to stay put, knowing full well that she was going anyway, whether the mech picked her or not.

To Wildfire's shock, Megatron pointed to right where she was standing and barked, "I know there is someone behind that wall! Come out, for you will be traveling to Iacon with me!"

At first, the warrior femme couldn't believe her audio sensors, but when Megatron ordered, "Come out here or I'm coming over there!" she forced herself to step out of the shadows, causing the group of hopefuls to look at her in shock. Jolt didn't even look surprised -- he looked disgusted and shocked that she was the one who was chosen and not him.

"Ah, Wildfire," Megatron noted, a smile coming across his facial features. Wildfire took note of an odd glint in his optics and couldn't help but shudder a little; they looked as menacing as they did when he was facing down an opponent in the arena. The femme couldn't help but wonder why he was looking at her in that manner.

"I was looking for Sparkseer when I saw what was taking place," Wildfire stated calmly, stepping forward, holding down whatever nervousness that had come on as a result of Megatron's gaze. "I didn't mean to disturb anything."

"You did not," Shockwave stated in reply, his single red optic glowing slightly as he spoke. The scientist had, according to rumor, once had two eyes as well as a mouth, but he had long since gotten rid of those when he had attempted to make himself stronger -- both physically and mentally.

Turning to face the imposing mech, the scientist stated, "Megatron, if you will allow me, I will take my leave -- there is something I must attend to."

"Go, friend," Megatron responded. "May your work bring forth something we may be able to use." The two nodded to each other, then Shockwave turned and walked out of the area and down one of the adjoining corridors.

Wildfire watched him go, Megatron's words causing multiple suspicious and curious questions to pop into her processor. Her optics narrowed slightly as she watched the scientist go, but she said nothing.

Turning to face the remaining crowd of unpicked gladiators, Megatron stated, "Go. You may yet have a chance to spend time with me, but only at another time."

The group dispersed, grumbling at low enough sound levels that Wildfire couldn't pick up what they were saying. She did, however, catch sight of the glare that Jolt sent her before walking off with Barricade, whose body language hinted that he was angered, as well, despite the neutral expression on his face.

"It appears that I have found time to speak with you again," Megatron noted, once most of the group had dispersed and disappeared. "Come. The route to Iacon is long, and I will need to do something to pass the time." He strode out of the pyramid, Wildfire hesitating momentarily before following after him.

"Have you ever been outside of Kaon, Wildfire?" Megatron inquired as they strode through the twisting streets of the dark city.

"No, Lord Megatron," Wildfire responded. She did not use the surname that Megatron had claimed for himself all that often anymore, but when she was in his presence, it was a habit of hers to use it -- and, in her opinion, she should have been using it all the time. "Kaon is the only place that I have known."

"Well, you will soon learn of another place," the mech responded. "From what I have heard from the shifter, Iacon has its own glittering affect to it, much like Crystal City, where Shockwave hails from."

Wildfire nodded slightly, recalling what one of the gladiators had said when they had come in with the (at least, rumored to be) crazed scientist in tow. Crystal City was made completely of some sort of tempered glass that reflected the starlight so well -- and was illuminated by its own light so brightly -- that it seemed to shine like it was a star itself. The entire area was a giant gem, tempered to perfection over many Giga-Cycles.

"There's an arena there I have been meaning to visit," Megatron continued, unhindered by the fact that the femme walking beside him -- who wasn't tall enough to even reach his spiked shoulders -- hadn't spoken. "It would be highly ironic, if one of the librarian's friends were to be there."

Wildfire looked up at Megatron sharply. "You aren't thinking about taking him there, are you, Lord Megatron?"

"I doubt he is even aware that it exists, so I do not see why not." Megatron looked down at the femme, who was looking back up at him with an angered and defiant look. "He is not completely aware of what goes on in the world outside of his precious Hall of Records. This may open his optics a little more than how they were a few cycles ago."

Wildfire nodded slightly, seeing Megatron's logic in his plan for the mech who had stumbled in on the plans the gladiator had made for getting rid of the castes. She frowned slightly as a thought occurred to her. "How are we going to know where he is, however? The librarian could be living anywhere in the city."

"All you have to do is meet him at where he works," Megatron responded calmly. "And you can lead Orion Pax to where I wish to meet with him."

Wildfire blinked as they reached the outskirts of the Kaon. " _Me_?" she repeated. "You want _me_ to meet him?"

"You are not as well known as I am in the gladiatorial arena." Megatron gave the warrior femme a smile that was more sincere and less crazed, like it had been back in the pyramid. "You gave Orion Pax a tour of our facility when he was here. Now, he is going to give you a short tour on the city...after you find your way to the Hall of Records and meet him there."

The warrior femme could see where Megatron was going: he, as a well-known gladiator, would be less likely to enter the Hall of Records than someone else. "You were planning on sending Shockwave on that errand, weren't you?" Wildfire inquired.

"Indeed. However, as he stated before, he had more pressing issues to look into, and was needed elsewhere." Megatron stopped walking, causing Wildfire to stop not too far behind him. "It is time to make our way across the Badlands to Iacon. Is your alt-mode capable of long-distance travel?"

"My alt-mode was made to get in and out of explosive situations fast," Wildfire responded. "However, that does not leave it without its own share of weaponry."

"Good. Then let us go."


	5. Chapter 5

**Extra (3) -- Raising young and oddballs**

_"I'm aware that there are probably different ways that different alien species raise their young and such, so you've probably got a bunch of questions as to how our society is run. Here's the gist of it: we come out of the AllSpark in the bodies we're going to be living in for our entire life-cycle, but we don't have all the knowledge we're going to need in order to actually be able to survive. Then we get sent to this learning-hub, where we're separated into the different castes we're going to be working in and are taught accordingly. After that, we're dumped in our section of the planet and left there to work until we die._

_"There are the occasional few, though, who come out as oddballs that hardly anybody knows what to do with. Shifters are a good example. Normally, they're sent to join the lower castes, where they eventually rise up to become either bounty hunters or spies. Shape-Change is one of the few who decided to be restricted by being a gladiator...most of the time. Even after spending so long getting to know her as a friend, I have no clue as to what she did in her time between training under Soundwave and beating up other gladiators in the arena. Sparkseer, Jolt, and I are_ probably _the only ones of our kind: those with abilities that were in our bodies naturally, rather than having them added after getting shipped off to our separate castes. There have been a couple scientists (Shockwave) who have tried to learn more about our abilities, but they haven't gotten anywhere -- Primus knows_ why _we even have these strange powers."_

**Chapter 4**

"Shape-Change!"

Wildfire looked around in annoyance as she stomped into the shifter's quarters. "Get out here, will ya? I want to talk to you about something."

"You mean interrogate for knowledge," Shape-Change responded, not coming out of whatever shadow she had decided to hide in at that point in time. The shifter's quarters were dark for a reason: she preferred it to the more brightly-lit corridors of the gladiatorial pyramid that made up the base of Megatron's operations in Kaon. It provided her with a cover that mimicked the camouflage technique Shape-Change was capable of deploying, only without her having to use up any of her Energon ration.

Wildfire snorted. "Not surprising that you heard," she noted dryly. "I know you hear everything, and I want to know something." The femme crossed her arms over her chest and started tapping her right foot impatiently on the ground. "If you show yourself and answer my questions, I won't bug you again about this."

Shape-Change stepped out from behind a large storage case that contained weapons and tools that could be used to repair minor injuries if the need arose -- a must-have for most gladiators. "What is it that you want to know, Wildfire?"

"It's about what you've been telling Sparkseer and what the other gladiators have been muttering," Wildfire stated flatly. "There's something going on, and I don't like being left out of the loop about it."

Shape-Change looked at Wildfire with a calm look, infuriating the warrior-femme by saying nothing for a klik.

"It's about the bombings," the shifter finally stated. "It's being said that...." Shape-Change hesitated, glancing over at a corner of her quarters.

"It's being said that what?" Wildfire prompted, impatient. "Don't leave me hanging, Shape-Change. I want more of an answer than that."

Shape-Change looked back at Wildfire. "What do you think of our leader?"

The question caught the warrior-femme a little off guard, which only showed in her optics. "What do I think of Megatron? That he's our only hope for getting rid of these castes."

"Do you think he can be trusted?"

"He has said plenty of times that he detests lying," Wildfire responded. "You've heard him as well as I have."

Shape-Change's shoulders sagged slightly, but they straightened up again. "It has been said that Megatron planned the attacks and then lied about being involved."

Wildfire stiffened. _This_ was something she hadn't been expecting. "What?"

Shape-Change took a slight step back; when Wildfire was told something that she didn't exactly expect, anything could happen from her understanding the situation to tearing up the surrounding area. "He's been planning on doing this in order to get word across to the higher castes; it's a part of his plan to cause the boundaries between castes to dissolve."

Wildfire blinked in confusion upon hearing this, but her optics soon hardened into a determined and angry expression. "I don't believe you."

Shape-Change's optics widened slightly upon hearing this. "I am not one to lie, Wildfire."

"Still, Megatron wouldn't do something like that. He's not the kind of mech who--"

"Like he did with the old gladiator bosses?" Shape-Change's expression had become hard, as well. "Wildfire, he is a warrior -- we all are. Fighting comes naturally for us, unlike those of the other castes. And, for Megatron, it comes first. Do you recall when Orion Pax was here? When our leader spoke out across the Grid?" Not waiting for even a nod of confirmation from the warrior femme, the shifter stated, "Did his speech not sound rehearsed to you?"

Wildfire frowned, thinking back to what had occurred when the "data miner" -- who was being referred to as "the librarian" among the gladiators who disliked him -- had been in the area. The speech, now that the femme thought about it, had sounded strange, like it wasn't just thought up in a nanoklik's time, but Megatron had been known to be capable of coming up with things that sounded rehearsed when the situation asked for a quick speech about something he hadn't spoken of yet.

Still, there was the occasion when the femme had walked by his quarters and had heard him muttering something, his voice rising and falling like it _might_ have been....

Wildfire shook the thought from her processor. "I'm still not sure if I should believe you, SC. Megatron's our only hope of getting the castes gotten rid of."

"As we have heard." Shape-Change was starting to look slightly annoyed, which surprised Wildfire; the shifter had never even _smiled,_ and she was getting _annoyed_? "However, that doesn't change the fact that we are not being told everything. Soundwave is no longer giving me lessons because Megatron has him running errands for one reason or another, and I have been unable to decipher what he has been doing or why." The shifter quickly regained her composure, holding her head a little higher. "You are not the only one who is being kept out of the loop, Wildfire."

Wildfire blinked for a moment, taking all of the information in that Shape-Change had just told her. Her optics narrowed slightly. "You're a spy, aren't you? Figure it out."

"Soundwave has optics and audio sensors everywhere." Shape-Change was starting to become flustered, which caused concern to well up within the fire-using femme. "He would stop me or feed me false information if he ever found me trying to find something out."

"Are you saying that you've tried?" Wildfire looked her friend over. "And what is up with you? SC, you're acting really weird."

Shape-Change took in a breath, her cooling fans kicking in as the flustered look disappeared. "This is why I keep my quarters dark -- it's the only place I feel comfortable releasing pent-up emotions. Despite how I act, I was not built to be an emotionless being."

Wildfire frowned slightly. "No one said anyone ever was."

"I am learning from Soundwave, Wildfire. Almost everyone in this building thinks I am." Shape-Change crossed her arms over her chest and sent a glare at Wildfire, any cover behind an emotional barrier now gone. "What is more important now is that Megatron is up to something, and we need to figure out what beyond the bombings."

Wildfire held up her servos in a defensive gesture. " 'We'? I'm sorry, SC, but I'm not going to be doing that. Spying and information gathering is your thing."

"I am not allowed to go everywhere because of my status as a shifter," Shape-Change stated bitterly. "It was hard enough trying to slip into the Hall of Records when Soundwave took me there for an attempt to data mine. Primus had to have been keeping a close optic on me if the Head Archivist didn't look at me suspiciously when I was working my way through the data banks." She looked at Wildfire with a serious gaze, optics hard. "Megatron is going to be heading out shortly. I want you to follow him and see where he goes and what he does."

Wildfire frowned. "And why are you asking _me?_ Not Sparkseer or Jolt?"

"Jolt is not an option. He is much too eager to simply follow blindly. Sparkseer is incapable of traveling freely, as he is forced to keep his spear out of sub space for fear of his ability starting to wear away at his circuits more quickly. He relies on it to live a relatively normal life cycle, you know that as well as I do." Shape-Change's stoic look collapsed into a pleading one. "Please, Wildfire. He seems to be most comfortable around you, out of all of us."

Wildfire stumbled back a step upon hearing this. "What do you mean by _that_?"

"I know he went to your quarters a few times over the past few cycles to speak with you. He hasn't set foot in Sparkseer's quarters, and hasn't even walked down this corridor for reasons which are unknown to me. I would think that your battle style and attitude are the reasons for these interactions."

Wildfire frowned upon hearing this. "That's all it takes?"

Shape-Change nodded slightly. "All I need you to do is follow him. If you're seen by him, come up with an excuse that will let you come along."

Wildfire considered the shifter's statement. While it was true that Megatron had come to her quarters often in order to speak with her on the subject of the castes and what she thought of certain things, she didn't suspect that she was at all in the gladiator's favor. And it was true that the femme had lived in Kaon all her life-cycle; while she had never considered traveling to the other hubs of civilization that were the cities that dotted the planet, other gladiators had and come back with stories involving the sights they had seen in Slaughter City or out on the Badlands. Wildfire had considered looking out for an opportune time when she could go out herself and see those other gladiatorial hubs. Perhaps now she would get that chance....

"All right," Wildfire stated, "I'll do it."

Shape-Change nodded slightly, a look of relief coming across her features. "Thanks you, Wildfire. You have no idea how much of a debt you've put me in."

"Yeah, yeah. Any idea where Megatron's heading out to?"

"Yes. Iacon. He is meeting Orion Pax there in a covert gladiatorial arena placed under the observatory."

Wildfire stiffened, and her optics narrowed. "The librarian? I'm going to have to deal with _his_ company?"

"Only if you end up showing yourself to Megatron," Shape-Change stated. "I can lend you one of my replacements for the Light Refractors I carry in order keep myself hidden, if you really want to stay out of sight that much."

Wildfire frowned, then shook her head. "No, I don't like using those. The last time I did, it was too uncomfortable not being able to see myself. I'll follow them the old-fashioned way." The warrior femme turned and started to exit the shifter's quarters. "And I'm going to want an excuse that will cover my tracks. Especially from Jolt."

"Understood. I have already calculated different possible excuses and come up with a good cover." Shape-Change gave Wildfire a nod. "Come straight to me when you return and tell me what you found out."

Wildfire raised an optic ridge at this statement as she glanced back at the shifter, but the warrior femme gave a nod in return and stepped out into the corridor.

"Now, to find Megatron," she muttered, and took off down the corridor towards the main entrance -- no doubt Megatron would be leaving from there with some escort.

Within a few kliks, the femme had managed to make it to the entrance, where Megatron stood with Shockwave and a small crowd of gladiators who looked exceedingly eager about something.

"I am traveling to Iacon to have a talk with the mech who joined our cause," the gray and purple mech stated, looking out over the crowd as Wildfire watched from the corridor entrance, remaining in the shadows. "Shockwave was going to travel with me, but he had more pressing matters to attend to, and thus cannot take the intended route to Iacon. However, one of you can."

The group of gladiators started to shift from one foot to the other and murmur to each other. Everyone was looking forward to being the one Megatron chose to go to the city -- or hoping that Megatron wouldn't chose them because they didn't want to be anywhere near Orion Pax. Wildfire could clearly see Jolt among them, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet, looking eager to move. The warrior femme couldn't see his expression because the blue mech was facing Megatron, but she was sure that the walking power generator was looking up at the gladiator with a hopeful expression.

Megatron's red-optic gaze went over the crowd, searching for a worthy candidate that could go with him to the city. Wildfire decided to stay put, knowing full well that she was going anyway, whether the mech picked her or not.

To Wildfire's shock, Megatron pointed to right where she was standing and barked, "I know there is someone behind that wall! Come out, for you will be traveling to Iacon with me!"

At first, the warrior femme couldn't believe her audio sensors, but when Megatron ordered, "Come out here or I'm coming over there!" she forced herself to step out of the shadows, causing the group of hopefuls to look at her in shock. Jolt didn't even look surprised -- he looked disgusted and shocked that she was the one who was chosen and not him.

"Ah, Wildfire," Megatron noted, a smile coming across his facial features. Wildfire took note of an odd glint in his optics and couldn't help but shudder a little; they looked as menacing as they did when he was facing down an opponent in the arena. The femme couldn't help but wonder why he was looking at her in that manner.

"I was looking for Sparkseer when I saw what was taking place," Wildfire stated calmly, stepping forward, holding down whatever nervousness that had come on as a result of Megatron's gaze. "I didn't mean to disturb anything."

"You did not," Shockwave stated in reply, his single red optic glowing slightly as he spoke. The scientist had, according to rumor, once had two eyes as well as a mouth, but he had long since gotten rid of those when he had attempted to make himself stronger -- both physically and mentally.

Turning to face the imposing mech, the scientist stated, "Megatron, if you will allow me, I will take my leave -- there is something I must attend to."

"Go, friend," Megatron responded. "May your work bring forth something we may be able to use." The two nodded to each other, then Shockwave turned and walked out of the area and down one of the adjoining corridors.

Wildfire watched him go, Megatron's words causing multiple suspicious and curious questions to pop into her processor. Her optics narrowed slightly as she watched the scientist go, but she said nothing.

Turning to face the remaining crowd of unpicked gladiators, Megatron stated, "Go. You may yet have a chance to spend time with me, but only at another time."

The group dispersed, grumbling at low enough sound levels that Wildfire couldn't pick up what they were saying. She did, however, catch sight of the glare that Jolt sent her before walking off with Barricade, whose body language hinted that he was angered, as well, despite the neutral expression on his face.

"It appears that I have found time to speak with you again," Megatron noted, once most of the group had dispersed and disappeared. "Come. The route to Iacon is long, and I will need to do something to pass the time." He strode out of the pyramid, Wildfire hesitating momentarily before following after him.

"Have you ever been outside of Kaon, Wildfire?" Megatron inquired as they strode through the twisting streets of the dark city.

"No, Lord Megatron," Wildfire responded. She did not use the surname that Megatron had claimed for himself all that often anymore, but when she was in his presence, it was a habit of hers to use it -- and, in her opinion, she should have been using it all the time. "Kaon is the only place that I have known."

"Well, you will soon learn of another place," the mech responded. "From what I have heard from the shifter, Iacon has its own glittering affect to it, much like Crystal City, where Shockwave hails from."

Wildfire nodded slightly, recalling what one of the gladiators had said when they had come in with the (at least, rumored to be) crazed scientist in tow. Crystal City was made completely of some sort of tempered glass that reflected the starlight so well -- and was illuminated by its own light so brightly -- that it seemed to shine like it was a star itself. The entire area was a giant gem, tempered to perfection over many Giga-Cycles.

"There's an arena there I have been meaning to visit," Megatron continued, unhindered by the fact that the femme walking beside him -- who wasn't tall enough to even reach his spiked shoulders -- hadn't spoken. "It would be highly ironic, if one of the librarian's friends were to be there."

Wildfire looked up at Megatron sharply. "You aren't thinking about taking him there, are you, Lord Megatron?"

"I doubt he is even aware that it exists, so I do not see why not." Megatron looked down at the femme, who was looking back up at him with an angered and defiant look. "He is not completely aware of what goes on in the world outside of his precious Hall of Records. This may open his optics a little more than how they were a few cycles ago."

Wildfire nodded slightly, seeing Megatron's logic in his plan for the mech who had stumbled in on the plans the gladiator had made for getting rid of the castes. She frowned slightly as a thought occurred to her. "How are we going to know where he is, however? The librarian could be living anywhere in the city."

"All you have to do is meet him at where he works," Megatron responded calmly. "And you can lead Orion Pax to where I wish to meet with him."

Wildfire blinked as they reached the outskirts of the Kaon. " _Me_?" she repeated. "You want _me_ to meet him?"

"You are not as well known as I am in the gladiatorial arena." Megatron gave the warrior femme a smile that was more sincere and less crazed, like it had been back in the pyramid. "You gave Orion Pax a tour of our facility when he was here. Now, he is going to give you a short tour on the city...after you find your way to the Hall of Records and meet him there."

The warrior femme could see where Megatron was going: he, as a well-known gladiator, would be less likely to enter the Hall of Records than someone else. "You were planning on sending Shockwave on that errand, weren't you?" Wildfire inquired.

"Indeed. However, as he stated before, he had more pressing issues to look into, and was needed elsewhere." Megatron stopped walking, causing Wildfire to stop not too far behind him. "It is time to make our way across the Badlands to Iacon. Is your alt-mode capable of long-distance travel?"

"My alt-mode was made to get in and out of explosive situations fast," Wildfire responded. "However, that does not leave it without its own share of weaponry."

"Good. Then let us go."


	6. Chapter 6

**Extras (5) -- gadgets/weapons**

_"No one Cybertronian is known to be unarmed. Ever. For reasons that I don't want to know, Primus thought it might be a good idea for each and every one of us to have something to defend ourselves with. Me? Swords and cannons. Those are the defaults, and every single Cybertronian's either got one or the other, plus a little extra that fits the personal choice of the mech or femme. I heard once that an enforcer in Praxis preferred Energon stars over blasters. Pretty much everyone thought he was nuts until we heard what he'd done to his blasters so that he could catch criminals. Most of the Praxis gladiators hold heavy respect for his 'investigator special,' and the ones that don't are still too scared to try to get his attention in order to try it out._

_"He's not the only one who's made something that works for him. Some gladiators repurposed weapons that ended up being used quite often in the war. One of the weapons that was kept a secret among my friends is the Light Refractor. It's a device that was created by a certain shifter for the sake of remaining out of sight even when she wasn't in another's shape. It was a camouflage device that completely hides the user from most of the light spectrums, and I have no idea how Shape-Change got it to work. All I know is that I enjoy using it to my advantage. Cons never see me coming unless I want them to."_

**Chapter 6**

"So he's been trying to convince Orion Pax of something," Shape-Change murmured, a slightly thoughtful look on her face.

Wildfire had, after telling Soundwave that Megatron had gone to Altihex to have a look around, gone straight to Shape-Change's quarters, where the shifter had already been standing out in the open, waiting for the warrior femme's return.

"And his actions have me concerned," Wildfire admitted, causing the shifter to look at her curiously. "Because of the time I spent with you, I know when somebot is hiding something, and Megatron was _definitely_ holding something back. However, I'm unsure as to what, and why he would consider it."

"He's running everything, Wildfire -- the gladiatorial circuits, preparations for the destruction of the castes," Shape-Change listed. "It would make sense that he would be at least hiding _something_."

Wildfire shook her head. It would take some time to get used to this more emotional shifter, but it did make the warrior femme feel that she could become a little more exposed in this dark space herself. "When he said he mourned for the innocents who died in Altihex, he said it in a way that seemed almost careless. There's something that's changing about him, SC." Wildfire leaned forward slightly, like she was about to tell a secret. "And I want you to figure it out."

Shape-Change's optics widened. " _Me?_ Are you insane, Wildfire?"

"You said you were in my debt before I left to follow Megatron. I am asking for that debt to be fulfilled."

"But...follow Megatron? Soundwave is with him almost all the time -- and if he isn't, one of his Mini-Cons is." shape-Change shook her helm. "This is one task I cannot fulfill, Wildfire. I am sorry."

"Well, we're going to have to figure out a different way to see whether or not what I saw and what you heard are really connected." Wildfire's optics narrowed slightly. "And why would Megatron be after the Matrix of Leadership? It's just another berthtime story for those of us who just exited the Well of AllSparks, isn't it?" Wildfire saw the shifter hesitate. "SC? Isn't it?"

Shape-Change let out a sigh. "When I was looking around in the Hall of Records, I saw proof of the Matrix's existence." Seeing that Wildfire was going to scoff in response, the shifter stated quickly, "Hear me out! I managed to hack into a file that was surrounded by the toughest encryptions that Soundwave or I could have possible come across. Inside it, I found what appeared to be some sort of list of the different relics that existed during the time of the Thirteen. Many were marked as lost and possibly destroyed, but there was one item that caught my interest. The Matrix of Leadership was put under 'somewhere on Cybertron'. Then there was a list of possible locations that it could have been located at, Altihex being among them. Soundwave took a copy of the list and presented it to Megatron."

Wildfire's optics narrowed upon hearing this. "And you suspect that the attack happened the because Megatron is planning on hunting down the Matrix."

"It is an item of great power -- you and I both know that from the stories we were told. If he could get his servos on it, he could have more than enough power to get rid of the caste system -- the High Council would _have_ to listen to him." Shape-Change let out a sigh. "Or, he could use its power to send the entire planet into chaos."

Wildfire raised an optic ridge. "Nothing that old can have that much power left."

Shape-Change shook her head in disagreement. "Unless they were used repeatedly, and for the wrong kind of reason, I doubt that any of the old relics would have lost any of their power."

"You know, you're a lot more superstitious than I originally thought you were."

Shape-Changer didn't respond to this. "How was Iacon, then?"

"Certainly more well-made than this place. And most of the bots avoided me like I was carrying Cosmic Rust. Except for one -- a friend of the librarian's, a cultural investigator named Jazz." Wildfire smiled ruefully, aware that Shape-Change had wanted the subject changed just to get away from the shifter's superstitious tendencies. "It seems I have more of a fanbase than I had originally expected. The few Iaconians I ran into recognized me instantly -- at least one asked for a servo-written autograph right on his armor."

"Interesting, but irrelevant."

"That old Archivist guy upgraded security after you left." Wildfire watched as Shape-Change's optics widened slightly. "Jazz didn't see why he needed to, calling him an eccentric old mech. Orion Pax told me the mech might have even lived as far back as when the Space Bridges were still active."

"He's _that_ old?" Shape-Change inquired, surprised. "And he still hasn't fallen apart. Interesting."

"I'm considering going back there."

This statement caught Shape-Change off-guard. "What? What is there for you that is of use there?"

"Orion said he'd try to look into a few things for me. I want to go back and see if he has made any progress in that." Of course, there were other reasons, but Wildfire wasn't about to divulge.

Shape-Change frowned at the statement, then shook her head. "You won't be able to leave without Megatron's permission, now. Shockwave stopped by not too long after news had gotten around that you had returned: the gladiatorial circuits are shut down, and no one is allowed to go and do anything without informing Megatron or one of his lieutenants."

Wildfire blinked in surprise. "He preaches about free will and no more castes, and yet he keeps us caged here like we are simply mindless machines he can bend to his will?" Her optics narrowed. "Shape-Change, I have a different idea as to what that favor of yours is going to be."

The shifter stood there, digesting Wildfire's words for a moment. Finally, she stated calmly, "Do you, now?"

Wildfire gave a nod. "I need one of your spare Light Refractors."

**Time Break**

"Let me get this straight: you want me to cover for you so that you can sneak back to Iacon and look into something you asked the librarian about." Sparkseer frowned slightly. "I'm not exactly sure that's the best path to take, Wildfire."

The tall mech and the warrior femme were standing in the mech's quarters, which like all the others, was simple with nothing decorating the walls, ceiling, or berth. This one, unlike Shape-Change's quarters, was well-lit, meaning that Wildfire could see every single bit of the space Sparkseer had called his own.

"And why won't you?" Wildfire asked in response. "I already got SC to promise to help cover my tracks."

"Why don't you ask Jolt? You are more than aware that I refuse to tell anything past a half-truth if I have to."

"Jolt would follow Megatron off a cliff, Seer -- haven't you seen the way the bot looks at him?" Wildfire placed her servos on her hips in an annoyed manner. "You're the only other 'bot I'd consider actually talking to about this."

"Only because you refuse to converse with the others on the level you do with Shape-Change and I." Sparkseer crossed his arms over his chest, his spear gripped tightly in his left servo. "I am not going to be able to help you in this. I'm sorry."

Wildfire frowned. "Tell a half-truth, then. Say I'm testing something out and nobody's to talk to me until I show myself."

"Shockwave would get suspicious and ask to see what you were testing and why you didn't exhibit any scientific tendencies before," the mech stated. "Wildfire, don't go."

"I have to, anyway. I doubt that the librarian is going to come to me with news that he's found something concerning what I asked him."

"What you --" Sparkseer cut himself off, optics widening. "Wildfire, what did you ask of him? And _why_ did you ask anything of him?"

"He has access to historical records. I thought he might be able to find something, if at all, about Cybertronians in the past who might have had abilities identical to ours."

Sparkseer gave Wildfire a look of shock. "You were the one who made us promise not to speak of such things freely, and you go and tell the one mech you trust the least? Something has changed in you, Wildfire. Something drastic."

Wildfire frowned, a little surprised to hear the worry in the mech's voice. "The librarian was brought in simply because of an accident. If Megatron trusts him enough to meet with him and tell him things that very few other bots know about, I find that I should be able to trust him, as well. Especially considering recent events."

Sparkseer gained a concerned look. "Be careful, Wildfire. Relying on Megatron to choose who you are to trust and not to trust is very dangerous. Those who he trusts could prove to be the bots you distrust the most. Shockwave being a forefront example."

Wildfire glared at the mech in response. "The question of the origin of our abilities has been bouncing around in my processor for some time. Orion Pax provided me with a way of trying to figure out such things."

The concerned look increased, and the mech returned his arms to his sides. "I understand your feeling of curiosity, but that does not completely mean that we can ask every historian or data miner we come across. If you wish to go and see if Orion has found something of use, so be it. But be careful -- Megatron's influence has continued to spread, and if you are found by one of his supporters out and about when he has not allowed you to be, the consequences could be dire for all of us."

"I know already, Seer," Wildfire responded gruffly. She turned and started to walk out of his quarters. "I'll let you know if Pax found anything."

After leaving the mech's quarters behind, Wildfire did a quick scan of the corridor, searching for anyone who might have been watching her. After making sure that there was no one in the area, she flipped open a section of armor on her left forearm and pressed down on a dark blue button that Shape-Change had helped to add to the warrior femme's cybernetics.

Instantly, there was a tingling sensation that spread from her arm and over Wildfire's entire form, and she knew instantly that she had been hidden from sight. The femme then started to move quickly, going for one of the side entrances of the building, where it wasn't so heavily guarded and Wildfire could slip out easily.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though someone had expected for her to head to all of them, because they were now as heavily guarded as the main entrance, with at least one big hulking Cybertronian mech and one of the new weapons that had been created. This left Wildfire with not very many options to slip out.

This frustrated the warrior femme greatly.

"How am I supposed to be able to get of Iacon when all of the entrances are...." Wildfire's optics widened. "Of course!" She promptly took off for the main entrance, being careful to make as little noise as possible, which was incredibly difficult since she had not decided to speed train in the ways of a Cyber-Ninja over the course of the past few Solar-Cycles. Not very many gladiators liked the techniques, anyway -- it wasn't meant for head-on combat.

Wildfire soon reached her destination, which was packed with Cybertronians who were carrying crates of weapons out of the pyramid, their contents meant for locations on other parts of Cybertron. Wildfire hadn't originally been sure as to why Megatron was having them create this many weapons, but Shape-Change had insisted that it had something to do with the attacks on the other cities and the search for the Matrix of Leadership.

At this point, Wildfire didn't care about that. All she wanted was a way to sneak out. Getting as close as she could to one of the Cybertronians heading out, the warrior femme fell into step behind the mech, who was a tall, slightly blundering oaf named Lugnut who would follow orders blindly without a second thought.

The mech walked towards the entrance, not taking note of the figure who was following him closely. As soon as he got outside and started to load his crate onto a trailer, Wildfire made a break for it, taking off past the guards and into the streets of Kaon...just as the Light Refractor turned off, causing some of the gladiators at the pyramid's entrance to yell in surprise. One of them actually started shooting, but Wildfire had transformed and accelerated before any of the ammunition could even make a dent in her armor.

"Too close," Wildfire noted to herself as she drove off. "And now they know that I left, too. Primus, I should have listened to Sparkseer." If the warrior femme had been in her bipedal form, she would have shaken her helm. "Too late now. I've got a librarian to see." With that, the warrior femme accelerated even further, shooting out of Kaon and onto the road that led to Iacon.

Wildfire didn't stop or slow down until the she had reached the outskirts of Iacon, getting there in half the time that she had when she had left the city last. Wildfire knew that there had been hardly any traffic officials on the road in over an Orbital-Cycle, according to those who traveled often, and those who remained were only there to make sure that no one ended up getting into fights if two Cybertronians so much as bumped into each other when they were in a hurry.

As soon as Wildfire got into the city itself, she transformed back to bipedal mode and started to look around for the Hall of Records -- or, if she was lucky enough, Jazz or Orion Pax, seeing as she herself didn't carry clearance to enter the Hall of Records. Or, at least, she'd raise a lot of optics ridges if she strode up to the guards and asked if she could enter.

Gladiators, when not accompanied by cultural investigators, usually do not ask to enter a place that does not allow them to have a scuffle with another bot.

Deciding that she would figure out what to do when she got there, Wildfire made a beeline for the Hall of Records, making it a point to stick to the shadows as much as possible in order to avoid getting looked at by nearby Cybertronians: while popularity was a good thing in the optics of many gladiators, including Wildfire herself, this was more of a covert mission. Which meant that the warrior femme did not want to be seen by those she did not _need_ to see her.

Finding the Hall of Records wasn't too hard -- she had Jazz's route committed to memory, and the building was among the more large domed buildings in the area. Upon reaching the building, she sat down in a nearby alleyway (tucking her knees up to her chest), and prepared to wait for somebot -- hopefully Jazz -- to walk by so that she could get into the Hall of Records and talk to Orion Pax.


	7. Chapter 7

**Extras (6) -- Recruits**

_"Megatron was just as busy keeping us on our toes as he was recruiting others to his cause. Almost every other day some new bot shows up and jumps at the chance to get into Tronus' inner circle. Very few make it that high, however. Very few._

_"Still, I was surprised to find out that one of the new mechs managed to worm his way in as one of the few actual medics we've got. Although, from the few times that I've managed to speak with First Aid, I learned that this 'Knock Out' isn't thought very highly of. He thinks only of himself and his finish, and when that finish is scratched, you do not want to get in between him and his buffer._

_"Another bot who got a good spot in the roster was Chromia. The green femme didn't say anything about where she came from, but she quickly gained a good reputation for knowing our weapons inside and out. Megatron put her in charge of making sure that the other gladiators could take apart and put back together a Nucleon Shock Cannon without having it explode in their faces."_

**Chapter 7**

"What are you doing out here, child?"

Wildfire shook her helm slightly, her audio sensors bringing the rest of her processor to online status at the sound of the unfamiliar voice bringing her out of recharge. Looking up as the warrior femme's optics came online with a confused expression, she caught sight of an unfamiliar figure; not wearing stiff pieces of armor, but more flexible pieces that came down over him like the robes the High Council had been known to wear over their own battle armor.

"I haven't seen a femme like you in this part of the city before," the figure continued, the voice identifying the figure as a mech. "Why are you out here?"

"Waiting," Wildfire replied, quickly realizing that she had dozed off. The warrior femme had quickly changed her confused expression to a guarded one. "I came here looking for someone."

"I doubt that you will find anybot around at this moment," the mech replied, moving to one side. Wildfire caught sight of the empty street and frowned -- she had ended up oversleeping. "Why don't you come with me? I have a spare berth in case of such an occasion as this." The mech held out a servo in order to assist Wildfire in getting up.

Wildfire glared at the servo for a moment. "I can get up by myself, thanks." She pushed herself up onto her feet, leaving the mech's servo where it was. She gave the mech another curious look, taking note of the slightly wizened features on his face, and the pieces of metal that covered his mouth, one especially long section dangling down to come to a point in the middle of the mech's form. "What are you doing out here by yourself, old mech? Haven't you been watching the vids?"

"More than you are likely to have been," the mech replied. "The attacks have been nowhere near this place." He motioned for Wildfire to follow him, and he walked out of the alley. Hesitant, the warrior femme followed, wondering if the old mech might actually be a gladiator wearing some sort of fancy disguise in order to trick her into revealing something she wasn't planning on revealing. "What is your designation, young one?"

Wildfire frowned, optics narrowing into slits. "My _what?_ " Her voice came out in a hiss.

The term "designation" had been used at the Well of AllSparks, when those of the lower castes were given the names they would be using for the rest of their life cycles. They were called designations because they were nothing more than numbers and letters.

The mech noticed her anger, but instead of looking surprised or curious, a slight smirk came across his face -- Wildfire could only tell because the piece of metal that was right under his olfactory sensor came up slightly at one end. "I see you are one of the many who doesn't appreciate the caste system."

"You got that right, old mech." Wildfire clenched her right servo tightly, prepared for a fight if need be. The mech noticed, and stopped walking.

"No need to become violent," the old Cybertronian stated calmly, raising a hand slightly as he turned to face the warrior femme. "I was making a simple observation."

Wildfire relaxed her servo slightly, but she still kept her guard up in case she needed to make a run for it or fight.

"If you won't give me your designation, what about your name instead?" the old mech suggested quietly.

Wildfire didn't answer for a moment, instead looking at the ground. The old mech, after waiting for a nanoklik, turned and started walking along the silent street again.

The warrior femme considered her options: tell the old mech her name and risk either getting turned in or gaining a new friend, or not tell the mech her name and end up in the same position anyway. It became pretty clear that she would be unable to avoid returning to Kaon, which in turn meant that keeping her name hidden may as well have been irrelevant.

"It's Wildfire," Wildfire finally stated, causing the old mech to stop and turn slightly.

The old mech didn't respond to this verbally; he just gave a slight nod in return and motioned for Wildfire to follow him again, before turning and continuing onward.

Wildfire let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, allowing her cooling fans to continue working properly, getting rid of whatever pent-in hot air she had refused to let go. The warrior femme then, after having another look around at the dark street, continued forward, following the old mech around a corner and into a door in the side of one of the domed buildings.

Upon stepping inside, Wildfire realized the old mech had just shown her a secret entrance...into the Hall of Records. All around her, there were desks with monitors mounted to them, a scant number of figures sitting in the ones furthest away. They didn't even bother to look up as the mech closed the door with a soft _click._

"Come, Wildfire," the old mech stated quietly, shaking Wildfire from her curious thoughts. Turning, the warrior femme noted that the old mech was motioning for her to follow him through another door into what appeared to be an office of some sort. "There are some things I wish to speak with you about before I show you where I keep my spare berth." He motioned for Wildfire to come inside, then closed the door behind her.

Wildfire gave the old mech a curious look, raising an optic ridge as he moved around to sit behind the desk...almost like he owned it. The femme slowly started to consider _whose_ office she was standing in.

Especially considering that no one kept hard-copies of hand-written historical entries anymore.

"You're...the Head Archivist," Wildfire stated as she put two and two together. "Alpha Trion."

"Correct," the old mech replied calmly. "It is good to hear that one of the members of the lower castes is aware that I live still. Now, tell me." He leaned forward a little on the desk, placing his folded servos on an open book filled with odd, unreadable runes, a writing stylus of some sort lying right next to it. "Why is it that you are here in Iacon, when gladiators like yourself have been congregating in Kaon?"

"Megatron's doing something," Wildfire stated bluntly. She wasn't planning on telling some old geezer what the gladiator was specifically doing in Kaon, as, while she had heard quite a few things that set her on edge about the mech, the warrior femme was still loyal to his cause.

"And he has need of every single gladiator that lives on the planet?" Alpha Trion leaned back a little, then picked up the stylus in his right servo, twirling it around in his digits. "There is something that is amiss, and it is not that your friend is preparing to get rid of the castes; I knew they were a poor idea before they were implemented." The Head Archivist looked down at the book in front of him and scratched something into it using the stylus. "You seem to be more aware of it than any other Cybertronian I have interacted with."

Wildfire blinked at Alpha Trion's statement. "Before...?" Her optics widened. "You're _really_ old, aren't you?"

"I believe you have made the understatement of the Giga-Cycle," Alpha Trion noted dryly. Wildfire wondered if he had heard anyone else say such things to his face before...or when they thought he wasn't listening. "Now, tell me, what business do you have asking one of my data clerks about the ancient myths of our ancient past?"

Wildfire stiffened. "Ancient myths?" she repeated, frowning.

"Indeed. Stories that originate so far in the past, it is hard to pinpoint their true origin." Alpha Trion's blue optics narrowed slightly. "What I wish to know is how you knew about such things. For a gladiator, you seem to know much of mythology."

"Well, this thing isn't a myth," Wildfire responded shortly. She brought out the vibroblade that she kept stored in her left arm, allowing it to be covered in flames. Noting the look of pure shock that came across the Head Archivist's face, she stated dryly, "I guess you haven't been watching the vids from Kaon, seemingly like the rest of this city." She allowed the fire to disperse, then retracted her vibroblade. "And I'm not the only one who can do something like that."

"Oh?" Alpha Trion appeared to be partially interested. "And who is that, pray tell?"

Wildfire's optics narrowed. "Can I trust you not to tell anybot else?"

"You trusted Orion Pax, did you not?" Alpha Trion prompted. "He has oftentimes come to me with confidential information and for personal advice himself. You need not fear -- I have many secrets that I keep myself."

Wildfire frowned, but then nodded. "All right. There are two other gladiators. Three, if you count the shifter-femme, Shape-Change."

"A shifter?" the old mech repeated. "My, it has been some time since I heard of a shifter walking on this planet. And you say it is a femme?"

Wildfire nodded.

"And, what of the other two?" Alpha Trion prompted.

"Sparkseer's a strange mech," Wildfire replied. "He can register Spark signals and see when bots are either lying or when they're troubled."

"A Spark reader?" Alpha Trion blinked in surprise.

"He has some trouble with it, however. If he doesn't keep a hold of a weapon made of a specific alloy at all times, the ability eats away at him. First Aid managed to get him a spear that he keeps a hold of even when he's recharging."

"That level of power always comes at a price," Alpha Trion noted grimly. "He must find a way to release the build-up of power he gains when he is not using his Seeing ability. That is what is described in the myths, at least. What of the other one you spoke of?"

Wildfire's face hardened at the mentioning of the other member of her small group -- the newest member. "Jolt," she stated, sounding bitter. "He came from somewhere here in Iacon -- a power station or something. He can throw around electrical discharges like they're regular weapons. I got hit with them when he first got to Kaon -- I beat him, though."

"You seem to dislike this mech," Alpha Trion noted.

"He follows Megatron like some sort of enamored fool," Wildfire stated bitterly. "Shape-Change and Sparkseer think Megatron is doing something that isn't going to be good. Jolt thinks Megatron's going to save us all and is the only thing that's going to stop the castes from continuing."

"And...what do you think of him?"

Wildfire let out a sigh and shook her helm. "I'm not sure _what_ to think. While he has been acting like he has been keeping secrets as of late, he seems to be the only one who is _doing_ _something."_

Alpha Trion looked over Wildfire curiously, as though he was considering her words. Finally, he stood up, looking down at the book for a moment before shutting it with a servo, leaving the stylus on his desk. "You have the ring of truth about you," the old mech finally noted. He turned and opened up a door hidden in the wall behind his desk. "You may recharge in there for now."

Wildfire blinked in surprise at the abrupt change in subject. "That's it? No more interrogation? Just like that?"

Alpha Trion raised an optic ridge. "Were you expecting something more from me?"

"I...." Wildfire hesitated. "I didn't know what to expect."

"Well, I am not one of the more...vicious of those you may have come across." Alpha Tripn motioned for her to enter the room. "There is a more ornate berth that I have been taking to avoiding, but I think I will be using it tonight. There is a small Energon dispenser within; I am certain that you will be making good use of it."

Wildfire's optics brightened at the mentioning of the substance, and the warrior femme practically dove for the doorway, into which she disappeared.

Alpha Trion peered in after her, taking note that Wildfire had grabbed a cube-full of Energon and had laid down on the berth, sipping the life-giving substance with a slightly hungry look on her face. The Head Archivist let out a chuckle before closing the door, leaving the gladiator to make herself comfortable and have a long recharge.


	8. Chapter 8

**Extra (7): Energon**

_"While you humans eat food of different kinds and tastes to keep your energy up, we've got one: Energon. As a fuel, we usually drink it, and depending on the concentration of the stuff, the flavor changes. Consider yourselves lucky that you have access to multiple types of energy-givers._

_"The concentrations of Energon include low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade. Low-grade and mid-grade are much more common, with low-grade being the most available and the easiest to produce. Lower-castes get access to this stuff, but it also has extra alloys that can cause eventual damage, according to a couple medics that I know. Mid-grade is better for everyday usage, but a Cybertronian doesn't have to take in as much because of the concentration._

_"And then there's high-grade, which is your equivalent of an alcoholic beverage. Some high-grade can get to be as strong as your vodka, or stronger. There are different strains of Energon that have gained their own names, such as Visco. And, like humans, some Cybertronians can't hold their high-grade very well. I'm not going to name who, though. I'll leave that up to you to interpret._

_"Of course, what is high-grade without a place to give it out? We have our bars for high-grade consumption, the most famous having been rumored to be in places it definitely isn't. I don't believe that._

_"But, considering what I've been through, I might reconsider that." ****_

**Chapter 8**

"There are specified times for specified castes to bring their grievances to the High Council," came a muffled voice.

"Slag the specified times!"

Wildfire shot upright at the sound of the roar of anger that came from beyond the door, startled by the sudden volume of noise that reached her audio sensors. She looked around, expecting to be attacked any moment, but when she remembered where she was, she relaxed somewhat.

Still, the anger that had been in the voice that was not Alpha Trion's had put the warrior femme on edge.

Getting off the berth, Wildfire made her way over to the door cautiously and started to open it, peering out into the office to see what was going on.

"Even now, with Altihex destroyed and Sentinel Prime gone missing, with --"

Wildfire stared at the mech who had been yelling, who looked back at her in surprise.

"Wildfire?" Orion Pax asked, confusion clear on his face. "What are you -- how--"

"I found her near the end of the other cycle recharging outside," Alpha Trion replied calmly. "She was looking for you, it seems."

"At least some answers," Wildfire responded pointedly. She stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her, watching with minor amazement as the door didn't even leave a visible seam in the wall when it shut, becoming hidden once more. "The shelter was a good thing too, though."

"Glad to hear it," the old mech responded. "Did we wake you?"

"I was starting to come online before I heard the yelling." Wildfire looked at Orion Pax. "I could have sworn you were a bit more calm than that."

Orion Pax gained a concerned, impatient look. "This is not a time to be calm," he stated stiffly. "The planet is on the brink of civil war, and it must be stopped before it goes any further. And the Archivist wishes to speak of _caste_." The mech sent a pointed look at Alpha Trion, his voice turning to an annoyed and angered tone that bordered on yelling by the end of his sentence.

"You mistake me. I have never wanted to talk about caste," Alpha Trion replied. "I thought they were a poor idea when they were instituted. But they exist, and must be dealt with, especially when one is contemplating an audience that will deeply disturb the High Councilors. If you're going to get anywhere with this idea, Orion Pax, you're going to need to think instead of just act."

Orion Pax blinked with some sort of unidentifiable emotion upon hearing this, looking as though he was considering something. Wildfire wondered if he had come to the same conclusion she had about the Head Archivist's age.

"What must be done must be done," the younger mech finally stated. "I thank you for speaking to the Council. If you will do it." He looked at the older mech meaningfully.

Alpha Trion sighed. "You need not worry about such things. I will do it." He turned to look at Wildfire. "I do not suppose you are going to be returning to Kaon anytime soon."

Wildfire frowned, then shook her helm. "I tried to sneak away from there without Megatron's permission, and I was seen before I managed to get away completely. They're probably going to shoot on sight if I go back."

Orion Pax's optics widened in surprise. "Megatron has Kaon on lockdown?"

"At least my home," the warrior femme replied bitterly. "Sparkseer and Shape-Change are still trapped there, as well, and I am not exactly willing to return only to be beaten for leaving to learn if any other Cybertronians had abilities like mine and theirs." She looked away from the two mechs. "And I doubt that he would let them leave for any simple errand."

Orion Pax and Alpha Trion exchanged a glance, the former looking extremely worried by what he had just heard, while the latter carried a neutral expression.

"How can this be?" Orion Pax asked. "Megatron wants to get rid of the castes, not create his own."

"In the absence of any sort of control, a vacuum is made," Alpha Trion stated grimly. "It is likely that Megatron has started to gain an idea as to what sort of leadership he desires to lead Cybertron." The Archivist started for the door that led out of his office. "It seems that events are becoming more dire the longer we wait."

"Where are you going?" Orion asked, turning to watch the old mech open the door.

"I am going to speak to the High Council about you and Megatron," Alpha Trion replied. "Keep an optic on our gladiator friend until I return -- take her on a tour of the city if you must. I will be back within the cycle."

With that, the old mech was gone, leaving Orion Pax and Wildfire staring at each other in the empty office, which seemed to echo with silence for the longest time.

"Well," Wildfire finally stated, looking a little confused as to why Alpha Trion had suddenly stormed out like that. "I doubt that he'd be wanting me recharging in there again."

Orion Pax gave her a curious look. "And why is that?"

"Because he seems to dislike the berth that sits in his actual sleeping quarters." Wildfire shrugged. "He probably likes being closer to this stuff, too." She looked around the office again before allowing her optics to wander back to Orion. "So...." The warrior femme trailed off, waiting for the mech to think up something for them to do.

Orion stood still for a moment, before saying, "I've messaged Jazz. We're going to meet him at Macadam's Old Oil House to discuss where you should stay until we can figure out a way to contact your friends." He turned and started for the door, but then paused when Wildfire didn't follow him. Turning a little to look back at the femme, the mech asked, "Are you coming?"

"I'm coming," Wildfire responded, feeling a little snarky. She hadn't expected the words that had come out of Orion's mouth, and was a little defensive because of it. "You don't need to worry about me."

Orion blinked in slight confusion, taking note of her attitude and choice of words. He then gave a slight nod. "Very well. Still, it would not be best to keep Jazz waiting." He turned and left the office, Wildfire taking one last look around before slipping out herself.

**Time Break**

Orion Pax's optics widened in surprise upon seeing the red and white mech Jazz was in conversation with. "Ratchet? What are you doing here?"

The red and white mech turned slightly, the conversation that had been going on between him and Jazz dying when he caught sight of Orion and Wildfire, who were giving the two mechs looks of slight surprise and confusion.

"I happened to be with Jazz when you contacted him," Ratchet responded calmly, looking slightly irritated. "He mentioned that you had some sort of problem."

"It's nothing that you should be concerned about," Orion stated, his voice firm. Wildfire took note of this and wondered how the mech might have been if he had been thrown into the demolition caste rather than working as a librarian.

"If it has anything to do with the gladiator who is standing behind you, I am afraid that there is much I should be concerned about," the medic responded. Peering around the librarian, Ratchet stated, "I did not expect to see you here in Iacon, Wildfire. What brings you here?"

Orion Pax's optics widened as the warrior femme walked around him and sat down on Jazz's left. "You know her?"

"He was in Kaon for one of my matches," Wildfire explained dismissively. "He managed to get Jolt's arm back on after I cut it off."

"And it only worked because his body was different enough from another Cybertronians to keep his severed limbs going," Ratchet responded. "Now, what brings you to Iacon?"

Wildfire's optics narrowed as Orion sat down to her left, taking great care in slowly moving his chair away from her so that he would not be instantly struck if the warrior femme was provoked.

Jazz took note of the look. "Hatchet, I don' think--"

_CLANG!_

Wildfire's optics widened in surprise as Ratchet brought a wrench out of nowhere and hit Jazz on the shoulder with it.

"The only reason I'm not going to hit you in the helm right now is because you are going to have a processor-ache later from all this high-grade." the medic scolded.

Orion Pax took note of Wildfire's surprise and shook his helm slightly, letting out a sigh as a smirk passed across his face. "You need not pay any heed to that. It is a regular occurrence between them."

Wildfire gave Ratchet a curious look, frowning slightly. "And _why_ didn't I see this mech in Kaon more often? He seems more likely to fit in down there than in a place like this."

"Ratchet's been jumpin' around from city to city," Jazz explained, turning to look at the femme. "He didn't hop by Kaon 'till he was asked to work as a medic down there for one of his shifts, after hangin' around in Kalis for a couple cycles."

"When I met your friend Jolt," Ratchet added.

This caused Wildfire to stiffen a little. "He is no friend of mine until he can prove himself worthy of my trust," she hissed.

The three mechs looked at each other at this statement.

"It seems there is something troubling occurring in Kaon," the medic noted quietly.

Orion nodded slightly. "Wildfire is incapable of returning there without facing some sort of unforeseen consequence, having left without Megatron's consent."

Jazz and Ratchet looked at each other, confusion and surprise showing clearly on their faces.

"Megatron? The gladiator who wants to remove the castes?" the medic asked, frowning.

"That's him," Wildfire confirmed. "Something's going on, and it seems that what is going on in Kaon and the attacks are connected."

"You ain't tellin' us that Megatron's actually _behind_ those attacks?" Jazz asked, looking surprised.

"My two friends seem to think so, and I am starting to see things that point towards what they have told me." Wildfire gave the two mechs curious glances. Orion Pax and Alpha Trion seemed to carry an aura of truth about them -- one with the ignorance of it, the other with plenty of experience. These two were not quite at that level, so the warrior femme wasn't willing to explain to them everything that she knew. At least, not yet.

"If your two friends see Megatron as a threat to everything we know, why don't they report to the High Council?" Ratchet inquired, frowning. Obviously, the mech was still young enough that he stuck to the original protocols that he had been taught mere cycles after ejection from the Well of AllSparks.

"First, the castes are killing us from the inside out; SC's seen enough of that to know there is a danger in it," Wildfire snapped. "Second, Kaon's on lockdown; Megatron won't let any of us leave without his permission. I left without even seeking an audience with the mech, and my friends _stayed behind_. If I go back, there is no doubt in my processor that Megatron will have Shockwave do something to us as some sort of 'disciplinary action'." Wildfire used her digits to create air quotes as she spoke these last two words, as well as loaded them heavily with sarcasm.

It took her a nanoklik to realize that she had spoken this at an increasing volume, and now, not only did Jazz and Ratchet know of her situation, but also the small number of mechs and femmes in the bar. The entire bar had gone silent, Wildfire's last few words slowly dissipating from the air.

"You think that Lord Megatron is doing something that he's clearly against?" asked one voice.

Wildfire stiffened and turned slowly, catching sight of a familiar femme painted in green, her slim figure standing out among the group of heavily-built mechs she was sitting with.

"Chromia?" Wildfire asked, her optics widening in shock and surprise. A moment later, they narrowed. "What are you doing here?"

"Lord Megatron allowed me a short leave of absence," Chromia explained, her optics narrow. "What I'm wondering is what _you're_ doing here. The entire network is on edge after your little disappearing act."

Wildfire's optics narrowed fully into slits. "What I do is none of your business." She stood up, as did the green femme, the two getting into defensive stances. "So I ran out of Kaon -- so what? I wanted to look into something on my own. You got a problem with that?"

"Lord Megatron will," Chromia hissed in reply. "You left without his permission."

"Who do I need permission from to come and go?" Wildfire responded in a growl. "Megatron was fighting for freedom among Cybertronians, which means that we can do what we want _when_ we want. Not whenever somebot chooses." The warrior femme pointed an accusing digit at Chromia. "You don't have a right to chose where I go and when. Neither does Megatron." Wildfire turned the digit around and pointed at herself. "Only I do."

"Hear hear!" shouted a mech's voice. Another started clapping, and applause soon echoed throughout the bar.

Chromia looked around, appearing a bit flustered by what was occurring. She soon returned her blue-optic gaze to Wildfire, only for them to meet a rather confident-looking femme, her arms crossed over her chest.

"You should probably reconsider your position around here," Jazz remarked dryly as he got to his feet, looking pointedly at Chromia. "Before it comes back and bites ya in the tailpipe."

Chromia frowned, looking over the warrior femme, Jazz, Ratchet, and Orion. Even in an unfamiliar place, Wildfire had managed to gain familiarity without even having to lift a digit in combat, like Megatron and the other followers of the gladiator preferred.

Orion Pax suddenly stood up, blinking in surprise as a smile came over his face. "As we are still on that subject, the Head Archivist has managed to gain an audience for Megatron and myself in five Mega-Cycles' time. Perhaps there, we will be able to see who is truly telling the truth."

The small crowd broke out into applause again, then returned to their drinks, talking about what Wildfire had said to Chromia, as well as her outburst previous. This left Orion Pax, Jazz, Wildfire, and Chromia standing in the center of the bar, all four staring at each other.

"Go, femme," the bartender suddenly called out, turning and pointing at Chromia. "I do not want to see you here to cause fights again."

Chromia sent him a glare, then snarled at the warrior femme and the librarian, "This isn't over." With that, she turned and stalked out of Macadam's Old Oil House without another word.

As Wildfire watched the green femme go, a voice called out behind her, "I suppose that you're in need of a place to stay until you can find your friends again."

The warrior femme turned slightly, catching sight of another femme in a dark pink shade -- dark enough to be almost a red color.

Wildfire gave a slight nod. "Yeah. Who're you?"

"I'm Arial," the other replied, holding out a servo for Wildfire to shake. "And I'd be honored if I could share my apartment with the femme who managed to knock my former sister down a peg."

Wildfire's optic ridges went up. "Former sister? You mean Chromia?"

Arial nodded. "We were once that close. When Megatron first appeared, his speeches invigorated the both of us. But when the attacks came...I could tell there was something wrong. The gladiator was hiding something." The femme shook her head. "Chromia, as hard-headed as she is, refused to listen to my warnings."

Wildfire cocked her helm slightly, optics narrowing slightly. "How'd you figure it out?"

Arial shook her helm. "You might not believe me if I told you."

"And yet I might."

The pink-red femme looked around at their surroundings, then let out a sigh. "I will tell you only when we are in more private surroundings, when we will not be listened in on." She turned to face Orion Pax -- who, Wildfire had humorously noted, had been giving Arial a look that spoke completely of his hopeful intentions. "I hope you do not mind if I take her to my abode, Orion."

"I-it is fine," the librarian replied, stuttering slightly. "It would most likely be better if she stay with another femme for now."

Wildfire smirked. Just like First Aid's reaction to Ratchet's presence. That conversation felt like it had taken place so long ago....

"Hey, Wildfire!" The warrior femme was shaken out of her thoughts by Arial's voice calling from the doorway of the bar. "Are you coming?"

"I am," Wildfire responded. With that, the warrior femme walked over to the doorway and followed Arial out.

**Time Break**

"Well, here we are," Arial stated, opening a door and ushering Wildfire inside an apartment. "It's not much, but it's home."

Wildfire glanced around, taking note of the rather extensive storage the femme had for Energon, as well as the large vid-monitor that took up most of one wall. There were two adjoining hallways leading in separate directions, as well.

Arial pointed down one of the hallways, which led to the left of the entrance and was the closest to the monitor. "That leads to my and my other sister's berth." The femme motioned to the other hallway, which went past the storage container. "That is for the guests I seem to keep having."

"Plural?" Wildfire asked, raising an optic ridge. The warrior femme frowned, and her optics narrowed. "Who has been here besides me?"

Arial took note of Wildfire's frown, but did not seem frightened by it; the warrior femme figured that Chromia was at fault for that. "Chromia used to sleep in there; as sisters, we were allowed to share, even though we were technically of separate castes -- there's an industrial center not far from here where she used to work. As for the other...." The femme trailed off as she looked out a window, which revealed a view of Iacon over the Hall of Records.

Wildfire could tell the femme didn't want to talk about it, but the warrior was (although she didn't want to publicly admit it) curious. "Who else has been here?" she asked, her voice coming out in a low growl.

Arial looked nervous. "I don't know if I should tell you -- she had threatened me with possibly destroying the few Cybertronians who I actually considered friends--"

"She?" Wildfire raised an optic ridge. "Another femme has stayed here?"

Arial looked like an inexperienced gladiator who had been caught in a corner as another came lumbering towards them, weapons drawn. "I don't want to say any more than I already have about her."

"Look, Arial. I'm a gladiator, and I'm here, in your house. If this femme comes here after you tell me about her, I doubt she'd be able to get past me," Wildfire stated calmly. "Now, who was it?"

Arial looked at Wildfire with a surprised expression, but then let out a sigh and nodded slightly. "All right. I never saw who the femme was face to face -- she always kept to the shadows for one reason or another. She'd...asked me if she could borrow my form for some reason."

The warrior femme blinked in surprise. "Borrow your form?" she repeated, as though she hadn't quite heard what Arial had said.

Arial nodded. "Then she told me to take a few cycles off and try not to be seen by any of my usual haunts. While it did let me go out and see sights that I had been hoping to see for Orbital-Cycles, the entire experience still terrified me."

Wildfire only listened to this with half an audio sensor, her processor whirring as she tried to hunt down the femme that might have asked this of Arial. It didn't take her long to find the answer.

"So _you're_ the femme that Shape-Change replaced," Wildfire stated, looking at Arial with calm surprise.

The pink-red femme looked at her in surprise. "Wh-what? You're saying that you _knew_ about that?"

"Only after it happened. You're lucky that the shifter who replaced you for a little while didn't try to kill you, or ruin your reputation in the slightest. Shape-Change was only looking for information, anyway." The warrior femme shrugged.

Arial looked a little lost for words. "A _shifter_ ," she murmured, looking like she might have discovered the jackpot. "You mean they aren't myths?"

Wildfire frowned. "No, definitely not. And Shape-Change isn't the only one that lives in Kaon, either -- there's at least one or two others who are worse in attitude than her. You're lucky Soundwave didn't pick _Makeshift_ to train in information gathering." The shifter was bad enough as a bounty hunter in the Badlands.

Arial blinked in confusion and surprise upon hearing this. "Wow. But...wait. Why did Shape-Change need to go though the database at the Hall of Records? All I do there is help run the DataNet and make sure nothing malfunctions."

"You have access to all of the files -- or, at least, most of them, from the sound of it," Wildfire stated. "All Shape-Change needed was some sort of way to gain access to the data, and she could go through and find whatever it was that she wanted to look for. Soundwave had managed to teach her most of his hacking skills by then." The warrior femme shrugged again. "For the most part, she managed to slip in and out unnoticed by all except for that Head Archivist."

Arial's optics widened. "That explains why he upped security almost as soon as I got back," she noted. "But...why didn't he catch her when she was there?"

"That a question I didn't get to ask him this morning or last night, when he let me recharge in the Hall of Records." Wildfire moved to lean against a wall, taking a more relaxed stance. A thought occurred to her then, and she smirked and began to chuckle.

Arial took note of this and stiffened a little. "What is it? What's so funny?"

"You and Orion," the warrior femme responded with a smirk. "Have you realized yet that he's got feelings for you?"

Arial stiffened, her optics showing clear surprise. "Wh-what? You can't be serious. You've only just met us!"

"I've seen the look that was in his optics before -- it's exactly like looks that have bounced between the femmes and mechs that I happen to spend a lot of time with as a gladiator." Wildfire smirked. "Even one of our more prominent medics, First Aid, has a mech in mind."

Arial looked startled. " Orion likes...me?" She looked away, becoming a little flustered.

The warrior femme took note that the Iaconian's cooling fans were kicking in with much more intensity than what might be considered normal. Wildfire promptly took this as a good sign and grinned hugely. "I take it that you like him back, then?"

Arial looked at Wildfire in surprise. "Wh-what? Me? Like a data clerk?" She shook her helm. "They wouldn't allow it."

Wildfire's optics narrowed instantly. "You mean the Guildmasters, right?" When Arial looked away and refused to answer, the gladiator continued, "Arial, we are combating against the castes for this very reason -- they stand in the way of things that we could do without them -- that work with our natures. If the castes did not exist, you would be able to find your sparkmate much more easily. If you act like this when he's mentioned, and he looked at you like he did back at the Oil House, than I'd bet my vibroblades that you two are perfect for each other."

Arial looked a little surprised that's Wildifre was capable of saying this. "I...I had no idea that this occurred among your kind."

Wildfire snorted. " _My_ kind? Arial, we are all Cybertronian in the end. You are just as capable of finding a sparkmate as Shape-Change can find new forms to use. Trust me, everybody's got a sparkmate out there. All you have to do is find them."

Arial blinked, looking a little lost for words. Wildfire kept going with an observation.

"You mentioned you had another sister."

Arial jolted at the sudden change of subject, then nodded. "Yeah. Arcee. She works in a different section of Iacon and can't stay here for more than a Solar-cycle in a Mega-cycle."

"And why's that?"

"She helps run a training facility not too far from here for members of the Elite Guard and hangs out with friends most of the time -- especially a mech named Tailgate."

Wildfire frowned. "Oh? She isn't a --"

"No, definitely not!" Arial gave a nervous smile. "Arcee likes where she is just fine."

"Ah. You'd have to wonder what she'd think if she was in _my_ situation."

That really sobered up the other femme. "Then she probably _would_ be one of them."

Wildfire considered this. "There's still a possibility that she could give up on that, if she were."

"Have you?"

The question came out so sharply that Wildfire couldn't help but look at Arial in surprise; the other femme had a determined look on her face that made the gladiator wonder if she was going to be thrown out if she gave an answer Arial _didn't_ like.

Truth be told, Wildfire wasn't exactly sure what side she was anymore.

"I don't like what these bombers are doing," Wildfire finally spoke, going with what she already knew. "But the castes are still bad news." She turned towards the hall that led to the guest berthroom, then walked out of Arial's sight.


	9. Chapter 9

Wildfire paced around in her borrowed berthroom, her fists clenching and unclenching as she walked. It had been a few cycles since she had taken up residence in Arial's home, but she wasn't able to find anything to do -- especially since the two femmes had agreed that the gladiator probably shouldn't go out after that fiasco with Chromia. More attention wasn't something that Wildfire wanted right now.

But it wasn't exactly something that let the femme have much to do with her now unlimited free time.

There was a knock on the door, and Arial opened it a moment later, causing Wildfire to turn to look in her direction.

"You're supposed to be at the Hall of Records," Wildfire said in a grumpy tone.

"Alpha Trion said he wanted to meet you," Arial replied, looking somewhat surprised at what she was saying. "Something about something you said to him a few cycles ago?"

Wildfire raised an optic ridge. "Really?" She frowned. "I wonder what he wants with me."

"Well, you won't know unless you go over there," Arial replied, motioning to the window that looked across the street to the Hall of Records. "Come on; I'll let you in."

The pair left Arial's apartment, then walked across the street towards the front entrance of the Hall of Records. The two guards -- young mechs who were Elite Guards-in-training -- eyed the two femmes suspiciously before Arial held up her security pass.

"Relax, you two," the femme stated. "She's with me. Alpha Trion asked to see her."

The two mechs looked at each other, then relaxed a little and stepped aside in order to let the two femmes head into the Hall of Records. After Arial had pointed Wildfire in the right direction, she disappeared for the nearest passage to the ventilation and maintenance section of the Hall of Records.

Wildfire worked her way passed the desks and the mechs that were working at their monitors. One or two of them looked up, but none of them kept away from their work for long.

However, it felt like the entire room had paused when the femme reached the entrance of the Head Archivist's office and knocked on the door.

The old mech opened the door and seemed to give a slight smile from under his metallic beard. "Come in." He moved to one side, allowing Wildfire to step into his office.

"I had a difficulty in finding any reference to your abilities among some of the more recent archives, but I managed to find something in my own personal collection," Alpha Trion stated as he moved around behind his desk and sat down. He picked up a datapad as he continued, "I didn't want my harder copies to leave my sight, so I transcribed the information for you to read freely."

Wildfire blinked, then accepted the datapad, looking over it curiously. Glancing at the Head Archivist, she stated, "This isn't something that I had expected."

"I would have given it to you sooner, but you disappeared from my radar after you left with Orion." Alpha Trion smiled ruefully. "I thought you might end up keeping yourself busy."

Wildfire snorted. "There's nothing for me _to_ do, thanks to Chromia and what happened at Maccadam's. Lockdown isn't fun, even when it's of my own free will."

"I am aware of such a feeling."

"Oh?"

"Indeed. The thought has passed my processor at least once a day that I should be out among other bots, rather than in here, writing and supervising." The mech picked up the stylus that lay next to the book on his desk, then opened the book to some page and started writing. "You may read the book in my own private room, if you wish. Or you may return to your own room and keep yourself busy there. It is your choice."

Wildfire blinked, then looked down at the data pad for a moment, considering her options. Back to her bunk? Or hang out here for a change of scenery?

"I think I'll stay here," Wildfire finally remarked. "For now."

Alpha Trion paused, then looked up again. "Very well. However, I must ask you something."

The gladiator's optics narrowed. "What?"

"The other cycle, you mentioned that you had befriended a shifter."

"Yeah," Wildfire replied somewhat stiffly. "Shape-Change."

"She wouldn't happen to have a thirst for any particular knowledge that we have here, does she?"

The question caught Wildfire slightly off-guard, but she realized that she had been waiting for this one since she had revealed to Arial that Shape-Change had replaced her for a little while, and to Alpha Trion that she knew a shifter. Still, she wasn't exactly prepared to answer the question, considering how suddenly the Archivist had asked. It took the femme a moment to get her thoughts together.

"I wouldn't know for sure," Wildfire finally stated carefully. "Shape-Change normally keeps to herself, right down to her emotions. She did mention that she found a list of artifacts, but she only told me this when the two of us were alone and she had requested my assistance in something."

Alpha Trion nodded slightly a thoughtful expression on his face. "I had thought that there had been a shifter here," he remarked. "It _was_ your friend who had taken Arial's place, was it not?"

Wildfire blinked. "So you _did_ know."

"One minor slip-up was all I needed. However, I am wondering what a shifter would want here. Would you know?"

Wildfire blinked again, then reluctantly gave a nod. "She and Soundwave were told to scope something out -- what, specifically, I don't have a clue. All I know is that they found the existence of the Matrix of Leadership to be real."

"And you never thought it was, I take it?"

Wildfire snorted. "It's just a berthtime story, in my opinion. Who's got the time to try and hunt down some sort of myth, anyway?"

"It seems that Megatron does." Alpha Trion leaned forward. "And, if he is trying to find it, then that means he believes that he can use its power to force the castes to dissipate in his own way."

"If the castes would just go away, I'd be fine with that," Wildfire responded.

"Unfortunately, I do not believe that Megatron will simply stop there." Alpha Trion looked down at the book on his desk. "The gladiator has already had a taste for power in the form of his leadership among those in his caste, as you are most certainly are of by now. The Matrix of Leadership is the artifact that chooses who will become the next Prime. If Megatron finds it, he will deem himself to be the next Prime, thereby placing a new government at the head of the planet -- a government which you likely have already had a taste of in Kaon."

Wildfire's optics narrowed. "What are you saying, old mech?"

Alpha Trion let out a sigh. "What would you do if I told you that a new leader will be chosen the next time the High Council meets?"

Wildfire raised an optic ridge. "Is Sentinel Prime offline?"

"No; he is simply missing, and has been since the attack on Alithex. It is thought that he was taken by Decepticon forces and hidden somewhere."

Wildfire's other optic ridge joined the first. "Decepticon?"

Alpha Trion cocked his helm slightly. "You haven't heard? The forces that have been attacking have been referring to themselves as the Decepticons."

"Ah. I haven't been accessing the Grid all that often recently -- it's not a habit of mine. Besides, the bots around here have been referring to them as 'the terrorists', not 'Decepticons'."

Alpha Trion inclined his helm slightly. "While they are terrorists, yes, I would prefer to refer to them as their proper name."

"Alright, fine." Wildfire crossed her arms over her chest, still holding onto the datapad. "So Sentinel Prime's disappeared and everybot says that the Decepticons have kidnapped him. What's this got to do with picking a new Prime, anyway?"

"As Sentinel Prime's location has not been revealed to anyone, it is likely that the High Council will choose a bot to take his place until Sentinel can be found -- or rescued," Alpha Trion explained calmly. "A substitute, if you will."

"I know what you're referring to; I'm not an idiot," Wildfire stated in an irritated tone. "And how do you know about that, anyway? Were you there when they decided on how to run the High Council?"

"That's besides the point," Alpha Trion responded, sounding somewhat irritated.

"Then what is?"

"The next meeting that is going to take place when Orion Pax and Megatron gain their audience with the High Council." Alpha Trion paused before continuing, "and I believe the council members are going to choose one of those two as a temporary Prime."

Wildfire's circuits froze when she heard this, and her form stiffened in surprise. "What? You can't be serious."

"Young one, when am I not?" Alpha Trion's optics hardened. "I will not be attending the meeting when the time comes, but I suspect that you will. Until then, do not tell anyone of what I have spoken of here."

Wildfire took note of the Head Archivist's expression, once again wondering how old this mech really is. The warrior femme decided against asking him, and instead stated, "Yeah, sure. I can keep my mouth shut." She started around the old mech's desk. "If you don't mind, I'm going to slip back there and have a look at this thing." She held up the datapad.

"Go ahead," Alpha Trion replied. "And take your time. I've already contacted Arial and let her know that you'll be here and leave with her at the end of her shift."

Wildfire glanced back at the Head Archivist as she reached the hidden door that she had hidden behind a few cycles before. After giving a nod, she disappeared into the hidden berthroom and sat down on the berth before starting to read the datapad's contents.

**Extras (8): Myths**

_"The stories I had access to through that one datapad actually explained a lot about my and my allies' abilities._

_"According to that thing, after Primus had created the Thirteen, members of their number were given permission to create allies of their own with abilities that could help in the fight against Unicron._

_"Solus Prime saw that there was great potential in our race, and she decided to incorporate certain aspects of the near primeval planet into her creations. Near a volcano releasing super-heated Energon with spurts of flame, she enacted her power by concentrating on the fire. A mech formed out of the metal surface, taking some of the fire from the volcano into itself. Solus Prime named the mech Volcanus, and said that he was to assist her in her forge, so that she could create the weapons she needed for her brethren so that they could fight Unicron in the near future. The mech agreed, heating her forge and assisting her in creating those 'legendary weapons' we've heard so much about._

_"When the others heard that Solus had managed to incorporate a wild element into a Cybertronian's form, they tried to incorporate the elements into their creations as well: Liege Maximo relied on the lightning storms that plagued the area that came to be known as the Badlands, and Amalgamous Prime even took it a step further and created a race of Cybertronians using his own abilities to create the shifters._

_"Nexus Prime simply placed his piece of the AllSpark back into the Well, saying that the Cybertronians that will be birthed from it will have the ability to change and adapt according to the situation, and Prima, the leader of the Thirteen, took his piece and created a Cybertronian who would be able to do things with the Spark that no other bot could. However, as this specific mech was powerful, his energy also ate away at him, so he was forced to release his energy constantly in order to keep from shorting out._

_"Vector Prime granted a rare ability to a few mechs and femmes that were even smaller in number than Amalgamous' shifters: some would be able to slow down time, but like with Prima's 'Spark seers,' they would have their life force eaten away if the ability was ever used. Onyx Prime used his power to cause the Predacons and Maximals to be able to live later on, when the Well of AllSparks was created. The Mini-Con Prime followed his lead, creating small lookalikes of himself._

_"Unfortunately, there wasn't anything else, so I wasn't able to learn about what the other five did with their little pieces of the AllSpark -- if one would call it that."_


	10. Chapter 10

"Wildfire, it is time," Alpha Trion stated, opening the door and peering in. He found the warrior femme still reading the datapad he had given her, a look of interest and concentration on her face.

Wildfire looked at the datapad for a moment longer before shutting off the screen and looking up at Alpha Trion. "Arial's here to take me back?"

"Not quite." Seeing the femme frown in confusion, the Head Archivist explained, "Orion and Jazz sent her to pick up another friend. They are waiting for you in my office."

Wildfire frowned, blinking as she tried to think of a reason why the pair of mechs would be waiting for her. After a moment of coming up with nothing, she let out a sigh and got off the berth. "All right." She stated to hand the datapad back to the old mech, but he held up a servo and stopped her.

"Keep it," he stated. "Consider it a gift for providing me with some insight into what sort of bots still wander onto the planet's surface from time to time."

Wildfire gave him a cautious look, then nodded slightly and slipped the datapad into her subspace. "Thanks. I'm actually surprised I had my optics glued to it for so long."

Alpha Trion smiled slightly. "It is good to see a member of the younger generation interested in our history, even if most of it is so far back it's almost mythical." He turned and slipped out through the doorway before Wildfire could say anything more.

Wildfire raised an optic ridge, looking after the Head Archivist with a curious expression before shaking her helm. A moment later, she walked over to the door and slipped out, taking note that Jazz and Orion were standing side by side in the Archivist's office. The former had a large grin on his face, while the latter was much more calm and collected, but a smaller smile still was on his face.

"Hey, Wildfire," Jazz greeted, grinning. Wildfire instantly noticed that there was something off with his voice -- some sort of accent that was _definitely_ not in other Cybertronians' voices.

"Did someone do something to your vocoder?" the warrior femme asked, frowning. "It sounded funny in the Oil House, as well."

"Bots' have been askin' me dat for a while, now," Jazz responded, smirking. "And na, dere's nothin' wrong wit' it."

"When Jazz initially brought you here, one of my fellow data clerks had come across a transmission of sorts from another world," Orion explained. "The planet seems to be home to organics, but we are unfortunately unable to locate it on the historical star maps we have here in the Hall of Records. The transmission appeared to be some sort of music clip."

"And man, do those organics know how to rock!" Jazz declared, grinning hugely. "If we ever get the Space Bridges runnin' again, I'm gonna try and find dat place!"

"I do not believe you will be able to do so at this point in time," Alpha Trion noted. "There are many things that are to be done before we might reach out for the stars again."

"The castes being a big issue," Wildfire voiced, a hard look coming over her face.

"Well, we have two Mega-Cycles before we can bring that forward to the High Council," Orion Pax stated. "Perhaps, when this is over, the scientists of Crystal City will be able to go and repair the Space Bridges. Until then, Jazz and I have something planned for a few of us to do."

Wildfire frowned slightly. "Oh? And what might that be?"

"It's a surprise," Jazz responded, smirking. "You'll only get ta know what it is when we tell ya." He started to jump around a little, looking ready to move. "Can we get goin', OP? We kinda don't have much time, remember?"

"I am aware of that, Jazz," Orion Pax replied calmly. He started for the door, a jumpy Jazz and a curious Wildfire followed close behind.

"What's got you all worked up?" Wildfire asked Jazz, giving the cultural investigator a curious look as they walked passed the desks in the Hall of Records. "You look like you had just discovered a secret cache of Energon or something."

Jazz shot Wildfire a large grin. "Oh, this is just about as good as dat, but dat isn't it." He started to pick up his pace, getting into step with the librarian. "OP, if we don't move it, we'll miss it!"

"I am aware of that," Orion responded, shooting Jazz a slightly annoyed expression. "As you are most likely aware that it will take time to get to the spot we had marked."

"It'll take less time if we move faster!"

"The crowds are going to restrict our movement, you know that."

The cultural investigator frowned and shot Orion a look, which after a moment broke into a wide grin. "You know that we could--"

"No." Orion gave Jazz a deadpan expression. "We are not going to take another one of your shortcuts."

"Come on! Dat las' one wasn' so bad!"

" 'Last time' could have gotten the both of us in trouble -- and we arrived at our destination _late._ " Orion turned to face ahead of the group, continuing to lead them through the crowd. "You are going to be following me this time."

Jazz's shoulders sagged as they left the building. "You're no fun."

Wildfire looked at the spectacle between the two mechs and couldn't help but let out a short laugh. Upon realizing that she had done so, the warrior femme clapped her servos over her mouth, optics wide, while Orion and Jazz looked back at her in surprise.

"Well, wouldja look at dat," Jazz stated, a grin coming across his face again. "We got da little femme ta laugh!"

"And she appears to be uncomfortable with the notion," Orion noted in response. "Perhaps we should keep moving. Our destination is not far from here."

"If ya say so," Jazz muttered, a grumpy look reappearing on his face.

Wildfire allotted herself a smirk and did her best to keep her humor there and not allow it to escalate to laughter again.

**Time Break**

Wildfire, Jazz, and Orion arrived at the intended destination outside of the city, not too far from where the Observatory was located. Taking great care in avoiding that specific hill (most likely in case there was a gladiator match going on there), Orion led the other two to a nearby hill that wasn't quite as tall, but still allowed for a good view of the starways above the planet.

"What are we doing out here?" Wildfire asked, looking around. "There really isn't anything to do."

"Is dat what ya really think?" Jazz asked snidely. "Just cause there isn't nothin' doesn't mean there's nothin' to _do_."

"According to some of the historical records, at a certain time in an Orbital-Cycle, an event takes place in the heavens," Orion explained. "The conditions are perfect for the event to occur here and now -- and I have managed to procure for ourselves the perfect spot to watch it." A slight smile made its way onto the librarian's face.

Wildfire raised an optic ridge. "Event? What do you mean?"

Orion motioned to the stars. "It is a rare sight: pieces of strange stones made of ores from other corners of the universe travel through the stars at high speeds, frozen by the coldness that takes over the space beyond our word." He looked over at Wildfire, who had a bored expression on her face. "To put it simply, we are going to see a meteor shower."

"Meteor shower?" Wildfire repeated, raising an optic ridge. The warrior femme started to look around again. "If this is something that's so rare, why're we the only ones out here?" She returned her gaze to the two mechs, who put on rather neutral, guarded expressions. The gladiator soon gained a deadpan expression. "Oh. Right."

The librarian nodded. "The higher castes make a big show of it and gather in Six Lasers to watch with a celebration of their own. A few of the lower castes manage to get in, but many are left in the dark about the event, and have been for some time. I brought it up to Alpha Trion some time ago, and he explained that the best place to watch it would be out here, as far away from the city lights as possible. It seems he is old enough to have seen that before the castes, at least."

Wildfire nodded slightly, then recalled what the old mech had said before she had started reading the datapad he had given her. The femme quickly shook the thought out of her mind and started to look around, frowning as she did so.

"You said there were others coming," Wildfire stated. "Where are they?"

Jazz looked over at Wildfire. "OP figured dat it'd be best if we snuck out in small groups. Dey'll be here soon."

" 'Groups'?" Wildfire frowned. "I thought it would only be us, Arial, and some other bot. Who else is coming?"

Orion let out a sigh and shot Jazz an annoyed look, causing the cultural investigator to hold up his servos in a defensive stance. The librarian then shook his helm.

"I had been hoping to surprise you," he stated calmly. "And Jazz, the new nickname is starting to get on my nerves."

Jazz chuckled. "Dat's wat ya said when I started just callin' ya Pax. It'll grow on ya."

Wildfire looked between the two of them, frowning. "Who else is coming?" she asked, getting the feeling that she might already know the answer.

"Well, Arial didn't seem ta want ta pass this up, an' --"

"Let's leave it at that," Orion Pax stated, cutting Jazz off. "You've ruined enough of it already."

Wildfire blinked at the sudden statement from the librarian, but upon taking note that Jazz mentioned the warrior femme's roommate, allotted herself a smirk. "I'm pretty sure I can figure out at least one other bot. Ratchet's coming, right?"

"What makes ya think dat?" Jazz asked, turning to look at the gladiator.

Wildfire shrugged her left shoulder. "He was with you last time. I doubt he's going to pass this up."

"Ratchet had a shift tonight," Orion Pax responded. "He said that while he himself would be unable to come, he would be sending an acquaintance to record the meteor shower and share it with him later."

Wildfire's optic ridges shot up. "An acquaintance? Who?"

"Ah ah ah," Jazz responded, shaking a digit. "Dat's a surprise." He turned and looked out towards the city, only to start jumping up and down, waving his servos in the air high above his helm. "Hey! We're over here!"

Within a few kliks, a pair of red and yellow blurs barreled into the white mech, sending him sprawling on the hillside, laughing loudly.

Wildfire jumped back as the three Cybertronians started to wrestle, then her optics narrowed when the scuffle slowed enough to allow her to get a better look at the two newcomers.

"Hey...I recognize you two," she finally stated, placing her servos on her hips. "You were with Jazz the night Hydrau was the only survivor of a Mini-Con swarm."

The three mechs stopped wrestling, looking up at Wildfire in surprise.

"You were there?" the red mech asked in surprise. The warrior femme took note that the red mech looked near-identical to the yellow one, whose paint job appeared to be a bit more shiny -- it practically glowed in the starlight like he was a small star himself.

"Yeah," Wildfire responded with a shrug. "I went there after I met up with Orion at the Hall of Records." She didn't bother to mention that Orion Pax and Megatron were there, as well, but the warrior femme figured that the librarian might have preferred it that way. "Who are you two, anyway?"

"Name's Sideswipe!" the red mech responded, disengaging himself from the tangle that was, Jazz, him, and the other mech. "The yellow bot's Sunstreaker, but you can call him --"

"No, she can't," Sunstreaker cut in shortly, getting up himself. He looked Wildfire over with a scrutinizing optic, making the femme feel like she might have been under a scientist's microscope. The gladiator wondered if she would have to attack him in order to get him to stop.

"Pretty decent paint job," the mech finally stated. "I think you'd probably look better with flames rather than the usual 'this armorpart is that color' template, though."

Wildfire blinked in surprise. " _What?_ "

Sideswipe chuckled. "Sunny's a painter -- he buffs people and gets rid of scratches for a living."

Sunstreaker turned sharply to glare at the red mech. "I thought I told you not to _call_ _me_ _that_!" He soon returned his attention to Wildfire, and the mech explained, "I make it a point to try and bring out the best in bots physically -- which means I keep them looking as good as they possibly can be."

"Ah," Wildfire stated, nodding. "I get it." She looked over at Sideswipe. "So what do you do?"

"Me?" Sideswipe pointed at himself in surprise. "Well...I help my twin out."

"You do not!" Sunstreaker snapped, glaring at his twin. "Your little pranks make my work a lot more tedious!"

"But they're still fun, aren't they?" Sideswipe prompted, grinning.

"Twin?" Wildfire's optics widened upon hearing this. "You don't mean--"

"Sides' and Sunny are from a split Spark," Jazz confirmed, nodding.

"Split Spark?" Orion looked over at Jazz in surprise. "You didn't tell me about this."

"Because we didn't _want_ him to," Sunstreaker replied pointedly, giving Jazz a sour look.

Wildfire frowned slightly. "Split Sparks are near-unheard of," she noted carefully. "Most of the ones that do live have some sort of connection with each other...." The warrior femme shot a look at the twins, who looked at each other. "But they're only supposed to be myths."

"Your little fire ability is supposed to be a myth," Sideswipe pointed out, bringing Wildfire's mind back to the datapad in her subspace. "I don't see why we can't exist." He looked a little hurt. "Besides, if we didn't exist, then who'd be able to prank every single bot in Iacon?"

"Wasn't your goal the whole planet of Cybertron?" Sunstreaker asked pointedly.

"Gotta start small, bro," Sideswipe responded, grinning. He looked over at Wildfire. "So, what's a femme like you doing in a place like this? You probably haven't been able to see anything interesting with these two."

"Hey!" Jazz looked hurt.

"Kidding!" Sideswipe laughed. "Seriously, though, you can't have been able to do anything much over the past few cycles."

Wildfire rolled her optics. "Let's just say that I've been kept in an apartment a cycle too long."

Sunstreaker was about to say something in response to this when laughter started to ring out over the hills, specifically from the base of the hill they were sitting on. A pair of figures soon started to come over the top of the hill, conversing like old friends.

Wildfire's circuits went cold as soon as she spotted one of the figures. "First Aid?"

The mentioned femme medic turned her gaze from her companion -- who happened to be Arial -- and looked at Wildfire, her optics widening in shock. "Wildfire?"

A nanoklik later, First Aid had tackled the warrior femme in a hug, watered-down Energon tears streaming from her optics. "Wildfire! I've been worried sick about you!"

Orion Pax and the other members of the group looked at the two femmes in surprise.

"First Aid?" Arial asked. "You know Wildfire? How?"

The femme medic slipped away from Wildfire -- who was too shocked to move after she had been hugged -- and explained, "I used to work in Kaon, as a medic for some of the gladiators to keep an optic on their wounds and make sure they had recovered enough to get back into the ring whenever they wanted to." She looked away -- out over the landscape towards the city and Six Lasers, which looked like some sort of celebration was going on. "When the attacks started, I started to have less and less to do, as the pits started to shut down all over Kaon and the Badlands. But then things started to pick up pace when gladiators started coming in from all over, and their training started to become more intense. Although another medic did join Megatron's cause, I was starting to not feel so comfortable with my position."

"Knock Out isn't being much of a help, is he?" Wildfire noted dryly.

First Aid shuddered. "It's bad enough that the new medic is as Energon-thirsty as the other gladiators -- it's even worse that he has an ex-construction worker named Breakdown assisting him." First Aid concentrated her gaze on Wildfire. "When you disappeared, I thought the worst had happened to you."

"Well, as you can see, I'm fine," Wildfire stated, sounding a little annoyed. "How'd you get away from there, anyway? It was hard enough for me to sneak out of there."

First Aid looked around at the group, the nervous look in her optics more than enough to show that she didn't completely trust the group. "I'm not sure that I should say it here."

"I trust Orion Pax and Jazz," Wildfire stated. "The others, though...."

"Hey!" Sideswipe and Sunstreaker exclaimed together, looking hurt.

"The matter is not that _you_ trust them, it's whether _I_ can trust them," First Aid responded, a concerned look on her face. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you."

"The only reason you would be acting like this is if you hadn't left with Megatron's permission," Orion Pax noted, drawing the twins' attention. "I suppose you might have left in the same manner as Wildfire?"

First Aid stiffened a little at this, while Sideswipe and Sunstreaker looked at each other, curiosity plain on their faces.

The femme shook her helm quietly. "I won't tell you. Not here."

Something flashed across the dark sky, catching a certain white mech's attention.

"Hey! It's starting!" Jazz called out, pointing up at the sky as white streaks started to pass across the night sky.

First Aid looked up, then quickly grabbed a small device from her subspace and pointed its lens upwards, pressing a button that caused a small red light to start blinking in one corner of the device as it started to record the sight.

Wildfire looked up, watching as the white streaks passed by occasionally. "This doesn't look like much," she stated, looking bored.

"Just wait," Orion Pax replied. "There has been the occasion in which the comets have something more to --" He was cut off by a high-sounding note as a bright blue comet passed over their heads, causing their surroundings to gain a tinted hue to it.

"Whoa!" Sideswipe exclaimed, looking up at the comet. "That's awesome! Do they only come in that color?"

The librarian shook his head. "No. According to the records, they can come in every color of the spectrum, depending on what sort of ores make up the rock." He looked up as another note -- sounding lower than the first -- resounded as a red light went over their helms. "You see?"

"That's got lithium in it," Sideswipe identified, looking at the comet with a analytical eye. This got him looks from the other Cybertronians present. "What?"

"Were you supposed to be a part of the scientist caste or something?" Jazz asked, frowning.

"Wha, me?" Sideswipe smirked. "Nah. I just have to know my elements in order to make fireworks properly."

"Fireworks?" Wildfire repeated, frowning.

"One of his pranks," Sunstreaker explained, a grim look on his face. "Since I won't let him use them outside of the shop, he sets them off every once in a while when he _thinks_ I'm not looking." The yellow mech sent a glare at Sideswipe, who gave his twin a sheepish grin and shrugged helplessly.

The different colored comets were starting to pass by more frequently, now, each setting off different notes that created some sort of strange, other-worldly melody that, in Wildfire's opinion, actually sounded pretty catchy. It wasn't long before the warrior femme actually found herself humming along.

The sound from the multitude of comets was soon interrupted, however, by a giant green comet that moved across the sky slowly, seeming to suddenly appear almost out of nowhere before it covered the rest of the comets, bathing the entire landscape in green hues.

Wildfire stopped her humming, taking note of the odd coloring of the comet. It was a rarity to see anything of that vibrant a color -- except when the higher castes had access to art galleries that they could walk into every single cycle in a Mega-Cycle. The warrior femme was quick to note that Orion Pax was looking at the comet with the same sort of admiration that might be reserved for something that a bot really thought deserved to be looked at -- like when the gladiator had seen Megatron for the first time. Or when Orion had been looking at Arial when the pink-red femme had offered to house Wildfire.

"What's with you?" Wildfire asked, catching the librarian's attention. "You look like you might have found the jackpot of all history entries or something."

"Huh?" Orion Pax looked confused for a moment, before he realized what Wildfire was referring to. "Oh." The mech looked back at the comet for a moment before stating, "I came across something a few Orbital-Cycles ago that almost sounded as mythical as the existence of the Thirteen."

The librarian let out a sigh. "The entry detailed the existence of a group of sentient beings that exist across the universe. They were chosen from their own races in order to join a special group that was known to be capable of doing incredible things by only relying on what abilities they had that set then apart. They called themselves...Planet Hoppers, or something similar."

"Planet Hoppers?" Wildfire repeated, raising an optic ridge. "Never heard of them."

"Not surprising. The entry was buried so deep in the archives that I only came across it recently. Still, the stories that it spoke of...invigorated something within me." Orion Pax looked up at the sky, watching as the colorful trails that had been left behind from the comets started to fade. "If we ever manage to reach out for the stars again, I would like to meet a member of that group."

The group stood in silence for a moment, watching as the last few meteors shot across the sky, then disappeared out of sight.

When they were long since gone, Sideswipe let out a yawn and stretched. "Well, while that was cool, it's still not as cool as what I can do with fireworks."

"I don't believe dat," Jazz responded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Can ya recreate da music dat made?" He motioned with his helm back up at the sky, where the last chord seemed to echo faintly.

Sideswipe opened his mouth to answer, but then he considered the question and his answer for a moment before finally shaking his helm.

"Thought so," Jazz stated proudly.

"That was...incredible," First Aid stated, the awe still in her optics. "I'm going to get this to Ratchet and see if we might be able to recreate the music that was created tonight. That performance..."

"It was as though Primus knew we were out here," Arial finished softly. "And he wanted to give us something to remember."

Wildfire blinked in surprise, and looked over at the pink-red femme curiously. Sunstreaker took notice.

"What's with you?" he asked, looking the gladiator over.

Wildfire glanced at the yellow mech. "I didn't expect you Iaconians to be...religious."

"Most of us aren't, but there are the few who still look through copies of the Covenant occasionally," Orion Pax explained. "We know Primus exists, and watches over us."

"It's just dat some of us are so wrapped up in deir work dat dey can't get a good look at what's really goin' on," Jazz stated pointedly, sending a look at Sunstreaker.

"Hey! Every coat's gotta be perfect!" the yellow mech retorted, placing his servos on his hips. "Sideswipe's even worse -- he works on his gadgets for pranking every single cycle!"

"At least I thank Primus every single time I finish a project that I'm actually able to do that!" Sideswipe responded. The two mechs were soon fighting each other again, the other mechs simply watching while Wildfire and First Aid exchanged confused glances.

"Does this happen all the time?" First Aid asked, motioning to the fight while she gave Jazz a curious look.

Jazz nodded. "Yeah. De live in de same buildin', so dey have ta deal wit' each other every cycle. It's a wonder dey haven't gone mad yet." He shook his helm, a smirk appearing on his face.

Wildfire watched the fight intently, her optics scanning the two mechs as they fought, taking note of their movements and skill set. Eventually, and much to the onlookers' shock, she dove into the fight and separated the two with general ease, a neutral expression on her face.

"You two watch gladiator fights, right?" she asked, looking between the two mechs.

The twins looked at each other with curious, cautious expressions, then nodded slowly.

Wildfire relaxed the stance she had been using in order to keep the two of them separate. "You have pretty decent fighting styles for Iaconians, but they can be improved on." The femme warrior smirked. "If you even tried to come close to trying to fight me, I can guarantee that you would be on the ground within a klik. If, that is, you managed to improve on what you already know."

Sideswipe's optics widened. "A-are you offering to train us? Like we were actual gladiators?"

Wildfire raised an optic ridge at the red mech's statement. "And what if I would?"

The twins exchanged glances, the cautious looks quickly changing to exchanged frowns, then an eager grin from Sideswipe while Sunstreaker looked like he had just signed off on something that he would most likely regret later.

"We accept!" Sideswipe declared, turning his grinning face to Wildfire. "I'm ready whenever you are!"

There was a loud, resounding _CLANG,_ and the red mech soon found himself lying on his back on the metal hillside.

"Consider that your initiation," Wildfire stated dryly, walking away as Sideswipe started to get up. "We'll start working on your reaction time the next cycle."

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Extras (9): The Terror Twins**

_"Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are, to say the least, the most annoying pair of mechs that I have ever met. They spend more time working on their own projects separately than they do together, but if they do work together, the results can be...explosive. And I'm not talking about fireworks._

_"I'm talking about pranks._

_"The two of them have, according to their neighbors, earned quite a reputation as pranking masterminds. Whenever they were in sync, they would find some hapless mech or femme and prank them mercilessly -- and when they weren't in sync, they would try to prank each other. According to Arial and Jazz, Ratchet had experienced more than his fair share of these pranks, and the medic had started to carry around that wrench of his because of them. In return, they had started to call him 'Hatchet.'_

_"Honestly, the mechs I've run into. I'm surprised I haven't gone as crazy as they have."_

**Chapter 11**

Wildfire slipped through the side door of the building the twins referred to as their home, only to find the room she had stepped into -- Sunstreaker's workspace -- had been made into a mess involving a decent amount of paints and the shine he used for some of his more well-along customers. And the yellow mech himself?

He was stuck to the ceiling with a rather unhappy look on his face, but he was more annoyed than anything else.

"What happened?" Wildfire asked, a smirk coming across her face as she came to a stop below Sunstreaker.

"He's been practicing again," Sunstreaker replied, definitely irritated with his brother. "He snuck into my supply room when I wasn't looking and somehow managed to rig this place to glue me to the ceiling."

"Indeed," Wildfire noted dryly, observing what the red prank master had done this time. "Do want me to get you down?"

"I would appreciate it. My paint is definitely going to need to be fixed." An angered look came across the mech's face. "And then I'm going to get back at him for it."

Wildfire smirked and shook her helm. Over the past few cycles, the warrior femme had quickly discovered that it was not only Sideswipe who was capable of doing pranks, but his yellow, perfection-driven brother as well. Many a cycle had gone by that had seen Wildfire assisting Sunstreaker at getting back at his more prank-driven brother. They had even tried to get at her, but the warrior femme's battle instincts and reflexes allowed her to avoid everything they had tried on her. Because of everything they had tried -- only for their pranks to fail miserably -- Sunstreaker had offered her free paint jobs for life, as well as buffing if she ever wanted to look like she had just come out of the Well of AllSparks.

While Wildfire didn't want to look like a greenie, she did take the paint job offer, and now carried the flame-job that Sunstreaker had originally suggested.

She had to admit, the yellow mech had done a really good job with it.

Wildfire looked around at the room for a moment before finding an overturned chair that Sunstreaker would often have mechs sit in if they just wanted to add a design to only one part of their armor. Grabbing hold of it, she turned it upright and stood on it, inspecting Sideswipe's work.

"He really did a number on you," she noted, catching sight of the paint that was starting to fleck.

"I know," Sunstreaker replied through gritted denta. "Are you going to get me down or not?"

Wildfire reached up and started to work away at the glue by digging her digits into a gap between the bot and the ceiling; like most of Sideswipe's prank supplies, it was easy to remove if you weren't the one who was subjected to the prank itself.

A slight frown worked its way onto the femme's face. "You know, you're sounding a bit more insistent than usual," she noted.

"There's something happening today that I am not planning on missing," Sunstreaker responded. "Sides didn't want me coming with him, so he stuck me here."

Wildfire raised an optic ridge at this. "What do you want to go see? As far as I know, Ratchet and First Aid haven't finished looking over that meteor shower recording yet."

"It's not that, it's --" Sunstreaker let out a yelp as he fell to the floor with a loud _clang_.

"Oh, good! You're here!" Sideswipe suddenly appeared in the doorway that led to the twins' living space. "I was wondering if I'd have to get you down myself before she got here."

Wildfire jumped off the chair as Sunstreaker got up. The warrior femme looked between the two of them, feeling like she had been taken out of the loop. "What is it with you two?"

"You mean you don't remember?" Sunstreaker asked, looking surprised.

"Today's when Orion and Megatron get to go in front of the High Council and talk about what they want to do about the castes!" Sideswipe declared, grinning.

Wildfire's optics widened. "That's _this_ cycle? I had thought we had more time!"

"So you _didn't_ forget," Sunstreaker noted.

"Think we can skip the lesson for this cycle so we can go see Orion?" Sideswipe begged. "Please?"

Wildfire feigned thinking about not letting them go. In truth, she was planning on going herself, but she wanted to make it look like she might have actually been disinterested in going. "All right," she finally stated, seeing the terrified looks that had been on the twins' faces turning into delighted ones. "Let's go."

**Time Break**

Wildfire looked around as she, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker entered the High Council chamber, which seemed to have some sort of quiet tension about it. Even though no one was talking at a normal volume, the warrior femme could tell that some of those present were speaking of what was definitely going to be mentioned today: Megatron, Orion Pax, and the dilemma concerning the castes.

The gladiator's gaze moved to the balcony above them as Sideswipe led them over to where Jazz was standing at the edge of a balcony that was almost directly above the main floor. The femme knew that there were gladiators in the upper balconies -- she had seen them arriving when Wildfire had come with the twins. However, she had not seen Sparkseer or Shape-Change among them, which worried the femme. Jolt, however, stuck out like a sore digit, standing proudly near the front of the crowd as the group from Kaon had marched in.

Wildfire had almost activated her borrowed Light Refractor, but managed to restrain herself, instead choosing to disappear into the crowd while keeping as close to the twins as possible. The warrior femme was not about to be separated from her pupils, especially since they knew their way around Iacon better than she did.

"There's Orion," Sunstreaker noted, casting a glance over the edge of the balcony.

Wildfire, shaken out of her thoughts, looked down, taking note that Orion was leaning against the wall near the back of the ground floor -- so far back that she had to lean forward in order to get a good look at him. The mech had his arms crossed over his chest and carried a neutral expression on his face.

"He looks like he's lost in thought," the yellow mech remarked, still looking down.

Jazz peered over and nodded slightly. "Yeah, dat's it. He must really be into it, if he's got dat kind of expression." He looked over at Wildfire, who's gaze had moved to the front of the crowd on the ground floor, where another familiar figure stood. "Ya spotted him, too, didn't ya?"

"Spotted who?" Sideswipe asked, looking confused.

There was a lit tap that resounded on the back of the red mech's helm, and the group turned to see Ratchet and First Aid standing behind them, the former holding his wrench in one servo while gripping First Aid's right servo tightly with his left.

"She spotted Megatron, you dolt," Ratchet responded as a slight smirk came across his face, placing his wrench back in his subspace. "You didn't think that only Orion was going to show up for this, did you? They wouldn't have opened up the chamber if he hadn't arrived here first." He moved forward, coming to a stop on Jazz's left, the opposite side Wildfire and the twins were standing on. "He seems to be pretty confident."

"He's about to tell the High Council what he thought should be done about the castes," Wildfire replied. "Of course he'd be confident."

Sideswipe gave Wildfire a curious look and was about to respond to this when the sound of what seemed to be knocking resounded through the council chamber, causing whatever chatter there had been to quiet down and stop. The group then turned its attention to the thirteen Council members, who all stood on a rise behind thirteen podiums -- or on, as was the case for one of them.

"We are here to take up the question of the gravest consequence, for it is a question that has brought our society from peace to the edge of civil war in a scant few Mega-Cycles," stated a tall, ancient Cybertronian in the center of the row of councillors. Wildfire remembered that the mech was referred to as Halogen, and that it had been said he had seen the start of the castes. "The Council first states without reservation that it deplores the acts of violence that have so far taken place. Those must be answered for, and one of our goals today will be to discern who should answer for them.

"Further, the question of the legitimacy of castes will be addressed. The Council feels that the caste system was instituted legally and that Sentinel Prime has overseen the continuation in a prudent way. Were he here, he would speak for himself, but this brings us to a dire reality. There are those among us who would prefer terror and violence to discussion and consensus." The ancient mech looked around at the Grid feeds that were located at regular intervals throughout the Council chamber. "Sentinel Prime, the Council believes you to be alive and well. We call upon your captors to renounce their ways, release you, and present themselves to the machinery of justice! Regardless of the merits of an argument, it must not be prosecuted by lawless behavior."

"Hear! Hear!" cried out the only council member who was sitting on top of his podium. Other voices soon popped up, agreeing with the small member's statement.

Wildfire's optics narrowed. "A Mini-Con," she noted.

"Ratbat," Sideswipe explained. "Word is, he never believes anything for more than a cycle unless he's paid."

Halogen gaveled for order. "I beg of you to contain yourselves, fellow Councillors," he stated severely. "Or else how may we demand of our audience that they keep themselves in check?"

After a pause, he went on.

"It is said that the former gladiator now known as Megatron is responsible for the disappearance of Sentinel Prime. This is a most troubling accusation and must be addressed. It is further said that the Seekers and their commander Starscream have been co-opted into Megatron's unsavory operations. This, too, must be addressed despite the recent relocation of Starscream to the space station Trypticon."

Wildfire frowned. "Seekers?" she repeated quietly, frowning. "They think Megatron's using fliers in order to do these things? He's a grounder! What use would he have of them?"

"An advantage in the air," First Aid stated quietly, causing everyone to look at the femme medic. Ratchet wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a comforting manner, causing Wildfire to give the two medics a humored smirk.

"I knew it," the warrior femme stated in a slight sing-song tone. This got her a glare from First Aid as the warrior femme turned back around as Halogen continued.

"Introductions are wearisome. Let us begin to hear from the citizens. First the High Council, under the penalty of confinement and further justice, commands the Cybertronian of Kaon known as Megatron to present himself."

Wildfire's gaze moved down to the crowd to the spot where Megatron and been standing earlier, only to find that he had moved. Her optics quickly scanned the crowd, only to catch sight of the gladiator walking calmly down the center aisle, stopping at the witness podium -- a circle of blue light -- that was in front of the council dais.

"I am here at the request of the High Council," he stated.

Wildfire thought that his voice sounded surprisingly calm, rather than strained from being forced to listen to someone higher up than he was. Maybe he had something planned out already?

This thought brought back up Shape-Change's connection between the mech and the bombings, and Wildfire did her best to force the thought away. However, there was something about the shifter's previous statements that Wildfire now paused to consider, after having spent so much time with Orion Pax and his allies. And definitely after escaping from Kaon.

Maybe Megatron _did_ have some bad Energon in him.

"Are you the Kaonian industrial worker and so-called gladiatorial champion who assumed the moniker Megatron?" asked a Cybertronian mech, the wings on his back straightening upward in what appeared to be a proud movement.

"Contrail," Sunstreaker murmured into Wildfire's audio sensor. "Council Secretary, and a really powerful Seeker, according to what we've heard."

"I am he," Megatron replied calmly.

"By what authority do you claim your name?"

"By my own and no other."

Wildfire couldn't help but smirk a little as surprise with a hint of condemnation traveled through the rest of the crowd that wasn't a part of the lower castes; it seemed that they didn't like the idea of Cybertronians choosing their own names -- or their own paths, for that matter.

Halogen banged his gavel loudly in order to force the audience into silence.

After Contrail had glared at the gallery, the Seeker continued, his voice having acquired a new edge. "Are you not aware that names are presented at the Well of AllSparks and nowhere else?"

"I am aware of that tradition," Megatron replied calmly. "I do not recognize that it is the only possibility."

"Let us not quibble over the protocols of how a citizen chooses to identify himself," interjected Ratbat. "Surely there are more interesting questions to address."

"And just as surely, the protocols of this council should be observed," said Halogen. This earned a sly smirk from Jazz, who appeared to see this as some sort of joke.

Ratbat nodded slightly and spoke no more.

"Your testimony before the Council," resumed Contrail, "is commanded to be truthful and complete."

"And so it shall be," Megatron answered, "although I fear that the complete truths I have to offer will not please those members of the High Council who demand obeisance rather than the interchange of equals."

Again, the audience murmured. Halogen gaveled everyone back to silence, and Contrail glared at anyone who tried to look at him. Wildfire was among the few who sent him a look in return. In her peripheral vision, the warrior femme saw that Orion Pax was looking the Seeker in the optic, as well, refusing to be cowed by the flier's glare.

After a moment of looking around and glaring -- sending one last look at Wildfire and Orion -- Contrail gave Halogen a nod, and the ancient mech gave Megatron the signal to speak.

The gladiator took a moment in order to gather his thoughts together, and then he began to speak.

"In the beginning," Megatron began, "I had no name."

He paused in order to let this sink in. There was not a sound in the Council chamber.

"None of us did. We spoke to each other, down in the mines and shelters, by electronic signature. We indicated each other by function. We assigned each other nicknames. I was D-16, named for the sector of the mine where I conducted demolition operations with a few others."

Wildfire stiffened a little at this, recalling her time there and preferring that she didn't at this point in time. Those around her noticed, but First Aid shushed the curious mechs before they could ask, shaking her helm.

"And then I saw my first match in the gladiator pits," Megatron continued. He turned slightly, extending an arm to the balcony above Wildfire, where the industrial bots -- and the gladiators -- were located. "That is where I first learned how life was for the lower castes that none of you ever take a nanoklik to consider. Each Cybertronian in that balcony has seen more Cybertronians die himself than the total of you in the rest of the gallery. Our lives are worthless!"

The gladiator's voice had been rising through this statement, causing Halogen to reflexively tap his gavel.

"Until," Megatron stated over the echo of the gavel. "Until we decided we had worth. We, the lower castes. We, the bots who die in the subsurface mills and factories creating all of the things that you up here take for granted. We learned that we were individuals by facing off against each other in the gladiatorial pits in Slaughter City and Kaon, and how did we know that we were individuals?" He waited for a moment to let the question sink in. The Chamber was silent again as gallery and Council alike awaited Megatron's next flourish.

"We knew we were individuals because as we killed our opponents in the ring, we saw in their deaths the realization that they were individuals, too. In killing, we understood life. In being the most disposable of commodities -- a gladiator, whose remains were thrown into a junk pile to be picked over and scavenged, the healthy pieces sold off to brokers in Iacon and Crystal City -- in being disposable, we discovered that we had value. Someone would pay us for what we did. Someone would cheer when we killed, and roar in anger when we died."

Wildfire nodded slightly. She didn't bother to mention that gladiators also enjoyed the rush of energy that came from the crowd's cheers, that it pushed them onward to manage to accomplish things in the pits that they were hardly ever capable of doing on an every-cycle basis.

"So if our lives had worth -- even to others just and worthless as we were -- then we had the right to names," Megatron finished. "And that is how the sequence of events started that led me to being here before you today. My friend Orion Pax, I thank you for helping our cause gain this platform, and to the High Council, I express my thanks for your time and attention."

With that, the gladiator stopped speaking, allowing the chamber to go into silence. Wildfire could sense that he was waiting for questions, and that they would not be long in coming.

"In what way are you linked to the terrorist bombings of Six Lasers and other sites a few Mega-Cycles ago?" asked Contrail.

"I had nothing to do with those actions," Megatron replied. "An issue like this one raises intense passions. I myself feel passionately about it. The difference between me and those who would bomb Six Lasers is that I channel my passions in a direction that I think that does not ultimately herald a new and better era on Cybertron."

Wildfire felt a little better upon hearing this statement coming straight from the gladiator's mouth. However, there was something about it that still sounded a bit off, but the warrior femme couldn't place what specifically it was. She frowned slightly, considering what she knew and what could be proved here today.

"Clearly you are exceptional, especially for one of your caste," Contrail parried. "Are you not responsible if your rhetoric excites those unfortunates without your willpower, though? Do you not have the same kind of responsibility that this Council and its members have, if your leadership position is to be taken seriously?"

"What you have to worry about is what will happen if my leadership is _not_ taken seriously," Megatron replied.

"It would seem that we have seen that already," interjected a new voice. Wildfire turned her head to catch sight of a figure she had not really expected to see face to face.

"Drivetrain," she noted, a slight grin appearing on her face. "Wow. I never thought I'd actually be able to see him."

"What do you mean?" Ratchet asked.

"He's one of the members of the lower caste, and he managed to work his way up to this position," the femme gladiator explained. "He's been looked at with honor in the lower castes, proving that we can jump up to a better place -- when given the chance."

"I will say it again. I had nothing to so with the bombings or with the attack on the Altihex Station casino," Megatron stated, standing resolute.

"You say it again, and I will disbelieve it again," Drivetrain responded. "Would you have me believe that your co-conspirator, a data clerk in the House of Records, masterminded an invasion and kidnapping using a force of bots who identified themselves as Decepticons and specifically proclaimed their allegiance to you?"

Decepticon?" echoed Megatron. "An interesting name."

Wildfire couldn't help but agree with this statement.

"You would think so," Drivetrain pressed him. "Since it was you who coined it, was it not?"

Wildfire stiffened as soon as she heard Drivetrain say this, her optics widening slightly.

Megatron drew himself to his full height, causing a few gasps of surprise to come from the crowd upon seeing how tall he truly was. "I would say that you should implicate neither me nor my friend Orion Pax until you have facts. What other bots might have said means nothing to me. But if the term ' _Decepticon'_ is to be laid at my feet, I accept it! Sometimes deception is necessary, when those who should listen to the truth will not, and will only understand once they have been lied to and forced to see their own lies."

"Very well, Drivetrain. You have provoked him," Ratbat noted. He looked around, making a show of waiting for the other Councillors to speak.

"It's not just him you've provoked," someone muttered nearby. Wildfire turned her helm sharply, looking for the source of the strangely _familiar_ voice, completely distracting her from Ratbat's continued tangent -- an action she highly preferred over listening to "collective good."

"Who's there?" Wildfire asked sharply, her optics searching for a form that she might have recognized. "I know there's someone here that I know."

The other mechs looked at each other in confusion, while First Aid carried a guarded expression.

"Be on your guard, W-06," the voice continued. "There are things that had been set in motion that no one can stop."

The warrior femme stiffened. Her designation....

"Who are you to know about that?" she asked, suspicious.

"You know me well enough. Keep your optics and audio sensors on high alert. You will learn things more quickly that way." Wildfire's helm turned upon catching sight of a figure moving, but they were gone a moment later.

Jazz looked confused. "Who--"

"It would be best that we don't explain here," First Aid stated softly. "Not in front of everybody."

The sound from the rest of the Chamber soon assaulted Wildfire's audio sensors; a shouting match had somehow erupted in the rest of the room while they had been distracted.

Over the sound of Halogen's gavel trying to hammer the yelling into silence, Megatron roared, "What the High Council has so far failed to understand is that it is our right! Each and every Cybertronian has a right to question the Council's actions, and to demand change when those actions fall short of the Council's mandate." With that, apparently a parting shot in a salvo (much of which Wildfire had missed), Megatron paused.

"What say the Guilds?" Halogen inquired.

"Representative of the Guilds, Sigil speaking," said a Cybertronian as ancient as Halogen stated.

Wildfire remembered that the rumor was that the two had emerged from the Well on the same Cycle, and the two had backed each other whenever they had need to.

"Speak, Sigil," the High Council droned in unison.

"The Guilds claim the right that is theirs." Sigil indicated the assembled heads of the Guilds, who administered the castes and exercised absolute control over which newly born Cybertronians were routed into their castes. "For thousands of orbits and more -- since the disappearance of the Primes, in fact -- the Guilds of Cybertron have guided the populace in their decisions about life and work. Without the Guilds there would be no developed civilization."

Wildfire, irritated, crossed her arms over her chest. _Yeah. Sure._

Sigil turned to face his fellow Council members, having played to the galley for the first part of his speech. "Can one criminal...one gladiator with the deaths of how many innocents on his conscience...can this killer be suffered to undermine what Primus himself decreed when he created this planet and seeded all Cybertronians on it through the Well of AllSparks?"

Wildfire's face hardened into a narrow-optic glare as she looked at Sigil, whose voice appeared to be gaining strength.

"The Guilds have overseen the prosperity of all Cybertronians, and created a framework within which any individual Cybertronian can find his role in our society. If every criminal malcontent is given the chance to upend what we have spent Orbital-Cycles working to maintain, then I fear for the future of our civilization. I fear for Cybertron itself."

There was a rumble of approval from the upper castes and discontent from the lower castes. Wildfire and the little group of Cybertronians around her said nothing as Halogen gaveled the Chamber back into silence, then pointed at a certain mech with the gavel.

"Here is another come to testify," the old mech rumbled. "What say you, Orion Pax, clerk at the Hall of Records in Iacon?"

"I say first that Sigil makes no friends among unhappy Cybertronians because he as pompous as any Spark has ever been," Orion Pax responded. Wildfire couldn't see the mech from where she stood now, but she could tell that the librarian was annoyed by what the old Councillor had said.

There was movement in the crowd below, and the warrior femme caught sight of Orion Pax coming down the center aisle. "You claim for the Guilds the power to determine the lives of every Cybertronian. Is this what the Thirteen would have wanted? Is it any coincidence that as the Guilds rose in power and the castes became entrenched, Cybertron lost contact with our colony worlds? As to confine each Cybertronian into a smaller and smaller space, with less and less room to go and see and do what he might want, you create a world in which no one knows how to look beyond anymore. No one knows how to imagine."

"I can imagine an end to this session," Ratbat called out. This caused laughter to boom throughout the chamber, and Orion, who had managed to reach the Witness Podium during his introduction, looked around with a fearful and panicked expression.

Wildfire stepped forward to the edge of the balcony, catching Orion's attention. She brought one servo out, made it into a fist, and tapped it against her chest. The warrior femme then gave a nod, a determined expression on her face.

Orion gave Wildfire a look of surprise, then gave a nod in return, his fear appearing to fade. The librarian then turned back to the Council and stood still for a moment before speaking.

"Fellow Cybertronians, members of the High Council, hear me. Megatron speaks harshly but true. He has seen the truth of life for many Cybertronians whose lives are all too often invisible, and if he is angry, it is an anger born of love for an ideal and Spark-deep pain at our failure of that ideal.

"The recent attacks were savage and inexcusable -- yet they were only symptoms. The unrest spreading across Cybertron will not stop with these attacks because it is the natural expression of a people who for too long have been held in check, their potential forever unrealized because of the false constraints of caste and Guild."

Wildfire nodded in approval. While Orion obviously had less time in front of crowds, he had managed to gain some sort of talent in speech. This specific speech definitely sounded like he was making it up on the spot.

"It is natural for a being born with Spark to know that it should be free. And it is natural that Cybertronians, who are born to change from one form to another, should want to be able to change their roles within Cybertronian society as a whole. If castes and Guilds fight change, they fight their own nature -- and the nature of Cybertron itself. The absence of change is not stability. It is entropy. Only dead things stay the same.

"No Cybertronian is simply the mechanical sum of his parts. From the smallest Mini-Con to the mightiest combiner, from the smallest data processor to the scientists who teach us the laws of the universe, each of us contains a living Spark that makes us _who_ we are, not simply _what_ we are. The Spark within us awakens us to the possibility of freedom. It makes us alive to the idea that we might choose what we shall become -- as each of you did, Councillors. Why should we not? One bot's freedom can never be given or taken away by another. This goes against the very nature of the Spark, the very nature of Cybertron itself.

"In the past, in times of great need, noble Cybertronians rose to become Prime and lead our civilization out of crisis. Most recently, Sentinel Prime -- once one of this chamber's honorable Elite Guard -- united all Cybertronians against a dire threat. High Councillors fought alongside smelters and data clerks then, to drive off an invader. What did this invader want? To enslave us, to turn us into property, to deprive us of our fundamental Spark-given right of self-determination. Have we driven the Quintessans off only to enslave ourselves by caste and Guild? And will we crush this new movement towards freedom, sacrificing freedom for order? I say no. Order achieved through force can never be true peace. _There can be no true peace through tyranny._ "

"Did he just call the Guildmasters slave masters?" Sideswipe asked, sending a sidelong look at his brother.

"I believe he did," Sunstreaker responded, a smirk working its way across his face.

" _Buuurn,"_ Jazz noted in a sing-song tone.

"The time has come for all Cybertronians to be united again, and I say we need a new Prime to unite us," Orion continued. "We do not need a Prime who moves us as if we were parts of a great machine, who demands that we be drones and spaces as the price of a peace that is only stasis. The Guildmasters and Keepers of the Castes do that more so than adequately, and look where they have gotten us. Cybertron needs a leader of the free, a Prime who recognizes that all Cybertronians are autonomous robots, owned by no one but themselves, masters of their own fates.

"I will say it again. Autonomous robots!

"We will remember this moment, in this Council chamber, as the moment where free robots broke loose of the welds of oppressions that had taken the beauty of the Spark away from us. We are all autonomous robots today -- Autobots, if we need a name to rally around -- and we Autobots declare that a Spark once freed will never again stand to be oppressed.

"You must choose a new Prime today. Choose well. For a Prime might either lead Cybertron to a new golden era in our history, or stand by as the dark energies of anger and resentment explode into planet-wide chaos and war.

"Members of the Council, the choice is yours. I wish you wisdom."

With that, Orion Pax fell silent, leaving Wildfire's processor reeling with questions. Did Orion know that Alpha Trion had suggested that a new Prime be chosen? How in had he managed to go from talking about caste to _that?_

"For Cybertron! Autobots!"

The entire Chamber suddenly erupted with noise as the audience chanted. "AUTOBOTS!"

"For freedom! Autobots!"

"AUTOBOTS!"

Wildfire looked up sharply as the term was started to be chanted in the gallery above, then moved around her and down to the ground floor. The warrior femme looked about as the member's of the group around her -- minus First Aid -- started to chant it as well.

The two femmes who were from Kaon exchanged glances of worry and confusion. The words from the figure beforehand were racing through Wildfire's processor, and she didn't necessarily like what was being done in the Council Chamber at this point in time.

Halogen's gavel banging was joined by Contrail's before the chanting was able to quiet down into nothingness. During that time, Wildfire saw that Megatron's stance had changed from a confident pose to a more angered one. She knew there was something wrong the instant she saw his stance -- and, despite herself, she didn't want Orion Pax to get caught up in something more than he already was.

When the Chamber had been gaveled back into something that resembled silence, Halogen stated, "There is more to this scenario than whether you, Orion Pax, or you, Megatron, will call your followers Autobots or Decepticons. Your actions thus far have set this planet on a course of war. Megatron." The ancient mech leveled his gavel at the gladiator. "It matters not a bit whether you told your Decepticons to abduct Sentinel Prime or not. What matters is that your Decepticons abducted Sentinel Prime. And Orion Pax." Halogen turned to face the librarian as Wildfire's optic ridges came together in a frown. "It matters not whether you and Megatron have argued over methods of philosophy, because your actions have contributed as much to the current crisis as his have."

Orion's stance flinched slightly, and he glanced over at Megatron, taking note that the gladiator was standing resolutely. He looked back at Halogen and gave the Councillor a nod. "Yes, Councillor."

Halogen got into a stance that showed he had been satisfied. "The question of freedom has lain dormant for far too long. We, this Council, must accept our share of the blame for this. I stand before you, citizens of Cybertron, and I express my regret for my failure to see and acknowledge the pent-up anger caused by the perpetuation of the caste system."

Wildfire had to forcibly restrain herself from letting out a yell of delight upon hearing the Councillor say this. They had managed to get Halogen to see what they were getting at!

"Councillor," Ratbat interjected. Four other Councillors echoed him, among them Contrail. "Surely you do not wish to upend the caste system that is serving us so well and stably right now."

"Ratbat, you fail to understand that the upending of the caste system has already happened. It happened with the detonations at Six Lasers and the Sonic Canyons and the other places where innocents lost their lives at the hands of zealots. And it happened at Altihex Casino, where our leader -- our detached, disaffected, disinterested leader -- vanished with apparently no fight whatsoever."

This drew a roar and tumult of disapproval. "It is time to see what is before us!" Halogen cried out. "We have been willfully blind for far too long."

Below, Megatron and Orion Pax exchanged glances. Wildfire noted that the gladiator's stance had relaxed somewhat, but he still seemed angry.

"Without leadership, our civilization must surely founder," Halogen went on. "This High Council, with its thirteen competing voices, may deliberate and consult, but in the end a single individual must make decisions. Sentinel Prime would have done it but he is..."

"We do not know where Sentinel Prime is," Sigil stated.

"Course they wouldn't," Wildfire muttered. "He was _kidnapped_ , wasn't he?"

"Silence!" Halogen barked, glaring at her. "This is not the time for commentary from the gallery. The High Council speaks here, and will speak until it is done."

Wildfire jumped. Apparently, her statement had come out louder than she had intended. A slightly sheepish look passed across her face as a few others on the balcony sent her annoyed glances.

Halogen took in a breath, attempting to calm himself. "In the absence of Sentinel Prime, we must take collective steps where we would prefer to have individual initiative."

"What are you getting at?" Megatron called out. "If the times are as dire as you say, they do not permit elaborate speeches. Let us head what you have to say, plainly and directly."

Halogen glared at Megatron upon hearing this affront. Wildfire could have sworn that the old mech was going to jump over his podium and hit the gladiator with his gavel for that.

Instead, the Councillor spoke through his clenched dentas, "Then I will speak as plainly and directly as I may."

Megatron looked like he was about to respond to this, but Orion placed a servo on his shoulder and murmured something that Wildfire didn't catch. After a moment, the gladiator's stance relaxed, and he didn't say anything.

"There have been attempts to discover the Matrix of Leadership," Ratbat stated, causing Wildfire to turn sharply in his direction. "We suspect that elements of these Decepticons are responsible."

"What seems at least as likely is that any band of malcontents claiming the name Decepticon can be linked to these searches," Contrail said. "How are we to know the truth about what Megatron himself, or Orion Pax for that matter, might be planning?"

"Orion Pax has disavowed the name Decepticon," Halogen pointed out.

"Who then is mobilizing spies to dig through the old ruins and sneaking security in Crystal City?" Wildfire looked up upon hearing the voice resound from the balcony above. It was a voice that she couldn't quite identify, but she knew that she had heard it before...when mentoring another whom she knew.

"Of course," Wildfire muttered, her optics sparking with some sort of unidentifiable emotion.

"The Matrix of Leadership, more than any other remnant of the Age of the Primes, defines Cybertronian society by marking the leader of the Cybertronians, irrevocably and irreversibly." Halogen moved to stand next to his podium, allowing Wildfire and the other members of the audience to see his robes. "But the Matrix does not grant itself to whoever might find it. On the contrary, it has a tendency to discover those who have the innate qualities necessary to claim it."

"And none of the searchers thus far have found it," added Ratbat. "Which means that it had not permitted itself yet to be found."

"Ratbat has not been known to speak of mythology," Ratchet noted, frowning. "Something is going on, here."

Unaware of Ratchet's muttered statement, Halogen continued, "This body, the High Council of Cybertron, has realized that events in our cities are spiraling out of control. Part of this is due to a lack of leadership, which explains the sudden surge in the number of expeditions searching for the Matrix of Leadership. But, as we have explained, the Matrix will not reveal itself to just anyone."

Contrail stepped forward, standing at Halogen's shoulder. "There is a way forward. We have consulted with the Archivist of the Hall of Records and he has revealed to us some things that we did not know."

 _Here we go,_ Wildfire thought, looking down at where the gladiator and the librarian stood.

"The Matrix of Leadership is on Cybertron though it had not been seen in these many billions of cycles. According to the Archivist, Alpha Trion, it may be found in these turbulent times, and if found will lead all Cybertronians through to a new age on the other side."

Halogen leveled his gavel at Orion Pax and Megatron, the latter steeling himself for something he expected in confidence. Wildfire wondered if Megatron suspected what the Council was planning. Wildfire knew what was going to happen, and she suspected that she knew who was going to be named Prime.

Despite what she had previously thought of the two mechs standing below, Wildfire was starting to become more and more convinced that what she had once known was wrong.

"Orion Pax, upon you we place the quest for the Matrix of Leadership," Halogen stated, turning his gaze completely to the librarian.

Silence fell, so absolute Wildfire could have felt it brushing up against her. It was as though the entire room had been suspended from all functions.

"E-excuse me?" Orion Pax asked, clearly shocked.

"The Matrix of Leadership is yours to seek," Halogen continued as the other High Councillors moved to stand beside their podiums, "because from this moment forward, you are Optimus Prime." The Council members then put down their gavels and saluted.

Astonished outbursts came from the gallery as Halogen raised his voice and continued, "Unite Cybertron and all of the Cybertronians. Usher in this new era you have spoken of so eloquently."

 _Alpha Trion got them to do that,_ Wildfire thought as those around her stared in shock.

An instant later, the entire gallery exploded with yells of alarm and other reactions of the like from all corners of the audience: scandalized shouts from the Guildmasters who could not believe that such responsibility had been thrust on a data clerk; robust cheering from fellow clerks; an avalanche of venom from the balcony above, where the gladiators stood, Jolt's voice resounding among the loudest.

The High Council held its salute for a full cycle, then dropped it and stepped back behind their podiums -- save Ratbat, who remained on top of his.

Halogen gaveled for order and motioned the newly-named Optimus Prime forward. "In time of great need," he said over the slowly diminishing tumult, "Cybertrom turns to those in whom the spark of greatness truly blazes. Optimus Prime, you must see us through the turbulent times that are to come."

Optimus took a step forward on the Witness Podium. "But...I-I am not ready for this." It was obvious that he was trying to keep his tone level, but his voice still fluxed a little.

Megatron muttered something as he stepped forward, causing Optimus to look at him in alarm. He then turned to face the rest of the gallery.

"A fine show of humility!" he roared. "My friend Orion Pax came here saying that he wanted to play peacemaker, that he did not want isolated acts of violence to escalate to civil war! He asked me to come under the banner of friendship and trust. He brought all of us here flying the false flag of reconciliation -- when what he really pursued was power!"

A thunderous reaction greeted Megatron's statement, while those around Wildfire looked at the gladiator with shock and confusion.

"No way Pax would do sometin' like dat," Jazz muttered, glaring at Megatron. "Dat mech's a liar!"

"Orion was never one to hunt down power -- he was content on his own in the Hall of Records," Ratchet agreed.

"He's too inexperienced for that kind of responsibility," Wildfire muttered. "That much I know. There's no way he would have had a taste of it to allow him to want more. Megatron claims to be his friend? I know more about Orion than he does."

Below, Optimus Prime turned around and raised his arms, and the entire Chamber fell silent. "I did not want this," he stated. "I still do not want it. If I had my preference I would remain a clerk, reading the data brought to my station by the Grid.

"But I believe in Cybertron. I believe in the history that I read as a clerk. I believe that when Cybertron needs someone, that someone will always be found, and that someone will light Cybertron's darkest hour.

"I do not know if I am that someone, but I respect the High Council, and I respect our traditions, and if they say I am...I will try to fulfill the role expected of me."

He lowered his arms and looked around the Council Chamber, finally settling his hopeful gaze on Megatron.

"Brother," he said. "You believe me, don't you?"

"Optimus Prime," Megatron stated. A long moment stretched out where the two looked at each other. Then the gladiator looked away and said something so quietly that the femme couldn't hear his mutterings.

The silver mech then turned to face the gallery, calling out, "Optimus Prime! Does it not have the ring of leadership? Of heroism? Does Cybertron not call out in its hour of need and find...a data clerk?"

"Brother," said Optimus Prime, a look of confusion and surprise on his face.

"Brother no more!" Megatron barked back. He turned to face the High Council. "This...travesty...is one more in a long line of injustices that at last provoked the invisible castes of Cybertron to take up arms. Blame them if you must, but blame yourselves as well. You see a people chafing under the yoke of caste and Guild, and what do you do? You send out militias. Those bots do not yield to militias, and what do you do? You call for a new Prime. A new leader. A new _autocrat._ " Megatron's voice had been slowly gaining volume and anger as he spoke and turned back to face the gallery. "A new autocrat to keep the High Council safe behind their podiums and keep Cybertron safe for the Guildmasters and caste overseers who keep the lower castes down in the pits!" Pointing at the upper balcony, he roared, "Will you stay in the pits?"

"NO!" came the roaring response. Wildfire's optics narrowed as she heard Jolt's yell loudest out of the gladiators.

"Will to fall into place behind this Optimus Prime, this creature of the High Council, who would keep you there?"

"NO!"

"You see, _brother_?" Megatron asked, warping the last word as he turned to face Optimus Prime. "They do not want your control. They want to be free."

"I do not wish to control them; I believe, as you do, that freedom is the right of all sentient beings," Optimus insisted.

"Lies!" Megatron barked.

"LIES!" came the echo from the upper balconies.

"No!" Optimus yelled in response. "I do not want to lead, but I will if I must. And if you break away from all the laws of Cybertron and from all traditions of the Primes, then lead I must. I would rather work with you, brother, and change what we both know needs changing. But this is not the way."

"You do not tell me what the way is," Megatron said coldly. "I found the way when you were still a drone filtering data out of the Grid. What you know of the way forward, you learned from me. And what you learn from this day on, you will also learn from me. The High Council calls you Prime? I defy them! I lead the Decepticons of Cybertron, and I fight for the freedom of all Cybertronians!"

Wildfire's optics widened in shock. "He _was_ responsible for the bombings," she murmured as rumbles of discontent swept through the crowd. "She was right...."

First Aid came up to place a servo on Wildfire's shoulder. "And you knew more than I do about who to trust and who not to trust." She gave the warrior femme a sad smile. "Will you help me learn as you have?"

Wildfire studied the femme medic's gaze for a moment before slowly nodding. "I will."

"You will yield!"

The two turned sharply to see Halogen glaring down at Megatron. "This is not your bully pulpit, Megatron -- and you will not deform this Chamber with your posturing."

"And this is no longer your Chamber, Halogen," returned Megatron. "Must you not defer to Optimus Prime, whom you have anointed leader? Well, I refuse to acknowledge him as leader -- and I defy to! You have betrayed the ideals you proclaim!"

Rounding on Optimus Prime, Megatron added, "And you, brother. You have betrayed the ideals you professed to me from the first. I should have known."

"You will not speak to the Prime that way," Halogen began. He opened his mouth to continue, but Wildfire saw Megatron's right arm -- the one with the strange cannon she had so often seen -- move to point at the ancient mech.

"No...." Wildfire started.

She didn't get to continue, because Megatron fired. A blue flare came out of the gun, and it hit Halogen and his podium, which exploded into shrapnel upon contact. The entire Chamber fell into stunned silence.

That's when several things happened at once.

Twenty-six fully armed Cybertronians burst into the Council Chamber from an entrance in the ground floor; the Elite Guard, Wildfire remembered. They created a tight formation around the Council dais and the remaining twelve Councillors. Wildfire saw Ratbat get onto Contrail's shoulder as she brought out her own cannons and aimed them upward, where she could plainly hear the crackle of electricity from Jolt; the warrior femme was prepared to end it there and now for the blind follower.

All around her, other Cybertronians prepared to do the same, aiming their weapons either at her, the Elite Guard, or at other random Cybertronians. Wildfire could hear weapons powering up and preparing to fire.

"Stop!" Optimus Prime called, a little panic in his voice. It was obvious that he had not dealt with something like this before. He stepped between Megatron and the Elite Guard, which was focusing most of its firepower on the gladiator. "You will not fire at him. Not in the Council Chamber. If I am Prime, and I command this, you must obey."

After a pause, the Guard lowered their weapons -- albeit reluctantly.

"Well done, Prime," Megatron said from where he stood behind Optimus. Wildfire could hear the scorn clearly in his voice, even from where she stood. "And what if I told my gladiators to fire on you? Do you believe they would hesitate because you are Prime?"

"I believe that any Cybertronian must believe in the ideals of Cybertron," Optimus Prime answered without looking back. "If I must be destroyed because I believe in those ideals, so be it."

Jazz exchanged a worried glance with Ratchet, who bit his lower lipplate, nervous. The twins also appeared worried.

Below, Megatron and Optimus Prime stood facing each other, while weapons were bristling at either one of the two, the gladiators in the upper balcony, and the Elite Guardsmen.

After a moment, Megatron stated, "Decepticons, stand down. For now."

With a cascade of ratcheting echoes, the Decepticons hid their weapons. Wildfire glared upward as the electrical crackle she heard disappear last, and she reluctantly got rid of her cannons.

"I would value your advice," Optimus Prime stated. "And your friendship."

"I would have valued yours as well, before your betrayal," Megatron growled. "But now you have been chosen. You have fallen into a trap they laid for you, and already I can tell you love being in their trap." The gladiator took a step back and gave a signal to the gladiators in the upper balconies, a movement which not only caused the upper balconies to start groaning, but got other bots on the ground floor to move as well. "You see how many of us there are, just here? How many others do to think await you out in the Badlands, or in the subsurface levels? How ready are you to die?"

"I am ready to do what needs to be done. No matter how many Decepticons you drag up from the pits," Optimus Prime said.

Wildfire took note of the anger in a voice, and wondered how far one would have to go to get him to lose it.

"And no matter how many Autobots you haul out of the libraries and the art galleries," said Megatron, his voice cold with fury, "my Decepticons will meet you. You have the backing of the Council, but we will see who claims the Matrix in the end."

There was the sound of moving parts as Megatron transformed into his tank form and rolled out of the Chamber, tearing open a hole in the back wall. Others on the balconies followed suit, causing the metal to bend and give way. Wildfire was quick to grab Sunstreaker while Jazz and Ratchet grabbed Sideswipe and First Aid, respectively, helping the group to hang onto the balcony, which started to tip to one side because of the supports getting torn by the leaving gladiators. Above, the fliers who had aimed their weapons at Elite Guard followed through the hole that had been left behind.

Wildfire gripped onto the balcony railing and forced Sunstreaker down as Contrail flew over their heads, Ratbat hunkered down in the cockpit the Quintessans had forcibly added to each flying Cybertronian. She glared at the Seeker and Mini-Con as they passed.

"Not good," Sunstreaker muttered grimly. "That ruined my paint job." He motioned to the black streaks that covered his form after Contrail had passed by. "I'm going to need a _lot_ more yellow paint after this."

Wildfire shook her helm, a grim look appearing on her face. "Your paint color isn't going to _be_ yellow if things turn out the way they did today. Don't expect it to go easy for you here on out."

The balcony suddenly started to give way, and the section of the railing Wildfire was holding onto started to bend. She tightened her grip on the bar, but the angle of the balcony started to cause her to slip, as well as the others.

"No!" Optimus exclaimed. He dashed forward, flanked by the Elite Guardsmen as other Cybertronians slipped out of the building before it could fully collapse on them.

Wildfire gritted her denta as her grip started to slip. Just before she let go, however, a gray servo appeared out of nowhere and grabbed on with great strength. Wildfire looked up to see a familiar figure's blue optics looking down at her, a slight look of humor in her optics.

"You didn't think I'd leave you well alone, did you?" Shape-Change asked. She glanced over at the other Cybertronians who were in Wildfire's situation, causing the warrior femme to turn her helm.

Sparkseer gave Wildfire a nod as he held onto Jazz's servo, his spear offered to Arial, who was holding onto it with one servo while holding onto First Aid with another.

"You guys...." Wildfire smirked. "It's good to see you got out of there."

"Wasn't too hard," Sparkseer replied. "Jolt is much more hard-headed than Barricade." He started to slide forward slowly, the other two following suit. "Let's get you guys down before the entire balcony gives way."


	12. Chapter 12

"So, you two are friends of Wildfire's?" Arial asked, looking between the blue mech and the gray femme who were standing in her apartment. Moving her gaze to the femme, she stated, "Shape-Change, I knew you were coming from what First Aid had said, but I didn't think you'd end up coming back here."

The shifter didn't physically respond with a shrug of a shoulder strut or a change in expression. "I was more familiar with this part of the city than anywhere else."

"And Wildfire did not like the idea of us going to Sideswipe's and Sunstreaker's home," the blue mech -- Sparkseer -- added.

"Well, you might end up going there, because I'm going to have no room for three guest bots total." Arial looked between the three again. "Shape-Change and Wildfire can share a room, but Arcee's not going to want a mech sleeping in hers -- especially since she's coming back home tonight."

Wildfire, who had been leaning against a wall with her arms crossed, gave a look of surprise. "Arcee's coming? Since when?"

"Since the commotion earlier this cycle. She said over the comm that she wanted to make sure I was okay."

"Uh huh." Wildfire sounded doubtful. "When's she getting here?"

That question was answered by the door suddenly being thrown open, and a dark purple -- almost blue -- femme dashed inside and tackled Arial.

"Arcee!" Arial exclaimed, suddenly thrown off by the femme's entrance.

"Hey, Arial!" The other femme backed up out of the sudden hug, grinning. The grin soon faded, however, and Arcee started to look over her sister. "You weren't hurt in that scuffle earlier, were you?"

"I wasn't standing on or under the upper balconies," Arial replied calmly. "These three were, though." She motioned to the three Kaon natives, moving Arcee's attention to the two femmes and the mech. "Arcee, these are Wildfire, Sparkseer, and Shape-Change, who are going to be staying in Iacon since they don't like what Megatron's doing."

Arcee looked over the three gladiators in turn, slowly moving as her gaze went over first Shape-Change's, then Sparkseer's, then Wildfire's armor-covered forms. "Really?" she raised an optic ridge. "I hope none of you have touched my room."

"Those two only just got here," Wildfire stated. "I've been staying in the 'guest' room."

Arcee frowned. "You mean Chromia's."

"It's not like she's going to use it anytime soon, you know that," Arial stated quickly.

Arcee gave a sly smirk to her sister. "True." She turned to look at the three gladiators. "So, what's the deal, then? You three get kicked out?"

"We left," Shape-Change replied pointedly.

"And I've been forced to find work elsewhere," Wildfire remarked dryly. "Do you know how hard it is to train a pair of mechs who would prefer to practice on each other?"

Arcee blinked. "Who --" Her optics widened. "Are you training the Twins?"

"You've heard about them?" Wildfire inquired, raising an optic ridge.

The dark purple femme laughed. "All of Iacon knows about those two! Sunstreaker for his paint jobs and...well, Sideswipe's something else."

"Twins?" Shape-Change frowned.

"I'll have to introduce you soon," Wildfire remarked. "Sunstreaker's probably going to go nuts over your paintjob."

"What are --" Shape-Change took another look at Wildfire's own paintjob. "...I see. Are you suggesting he might do the same to me? Because you know it won't work."

"Exactly." Wildfire grinned. "That is what will drive Sunstreaker mad."

Sparkseer raised an optic ridge. "You have changed, Wildfire. I didn't think of you as a troublemaker."

"The twins brought out the worst in me." Wildfire shrugged. "You should meet them."

"I did in the Council's chambers."

"I mean in their natural habitat."

Arcee looked between the trio again. "You know, you could probably teach my pupils a thing or two. According to what I've heard, a war may be starting up because of that gladiator."

Shape-Change sighed. "War started when the bombs started to destroy cities and landmarks."

"It is only going to get worse from here," Sparkseer agreed. "It is only a matter of time." He looked over at Arcee. "I would like to see these pupils of yours. Perhaps I can give some advice on fighting techniques."

The dark purple femme gave a slight smile, giving an interested look to the mech. "You'd do that? I'm sure Ironhide would appreciate the help. Especially since he's been avoiding me because I remind him of a certain femme too much."

"Oh? Are you referring to this 'Chromia' you spoke of?"

"Yeah, that's her." Arcee didn't look too happy about the mentioning of the other femme. "The two had a thing at one point, but it didn't work out."

"Yeah. I saw her a couple Mega-Cycles ago," Wildfire stated, getting their attention. "She got kicked out of Maccadaam's for arguing with me."

"You started a fight?" Arcee asked in surprise.

"It was only verbal," Arial replied calmly.

Wildfire moved her attention to Sparkseer and Shape-Change. "I've been meaning to ask you two how you managed to get out -- or avoid Megatron for that matter."

The mech and femme looked at each other, then at the sisters.

"Can we trust them?" Shape-Change asked, looking over at Wildfire.

The warrior femme didn't hesitate; she gave a swift nod.

"All right." Shape-Change held up an arm and pointed to a circular device on her wrist. "This is a Light Refractor. It allows me to hide in plain sight, and allowed us to follow Megatron's Decepticons from Kaon to Iacon without being seen."

"When Wildfire left, Megatron started asking around about how she had gotten out," Sparkseer explained. "Even though it is against my own personal policy, I lied and said we weren't aware of your plans. Shape-Change said the same, but was...surprisingly vulgar about it."

"You? Lying?" Wildfire looked oddly amused. "I didn't think you would break your own rule."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Sparkseer replied grimly.

"Jolt accepted the lies much more easily than we had expected," Shape-Change continued. "He proudly called us his friends, even though we never made contact with him in private. Megatron took my words to mean that the worst had happened -- that you thought castes were actually a good idea -- and ordered anyone who met you again to kill you on sight."

"Before or after Chromia's leave of absence?" Wildfire asked dryly.

"After," Sparkseer replied. "With everyone scattered, searching for you, not everyone heard the order right away."

"Uh-huh." Wildfire gained an indifferent expression. "I guess I should thank the AllSpark for that, at least."

"At least?" Arcee looked at Wildfire in surprise. "You should be thanking the AllSpark you're still alive! If what your friends say is true, then you might have been killed anytime."

"I doubt it. I can defend myself against those lunatics." Wildfire held up her left arm, bringing out her vibroblade with a calm movement and running a digit along the edge. A moment later, the blade was retracted, and Wildfire looked over at Arcee. "Most of the Decepticons are push-overs looking for a leader. No worries."

"Jolt is one of those followers," Sparkseer reminded her. "I suggest you be careful about who you say is weak and who is not."

Wildfire gained a deadpan expression. "Right." After a moment, a curious expression came over her face. "What about First Aid? There's no way she snuck out with you when the council meeting took place."

"She wanted to get out sooner than we were planning," Sparkseer explained.

"I let her use my last useable Light Refractor to go out the way we were planning," Shape-Change continued. "Considering that we saw her alive, I would consider it a success."

"You know --"

Arial's next comment was cut short when a certain white mech barged into the apartment.

"The 'Cons just took down Fort Syck!" Jazz exclaimed, breathless.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Extra (10): The Great War**

_"After Shape-Change and Sparkseer joined up with us in Iacon, everything just started going downhill. Like Seer had predicted, things started to pick up pace as the Cons (a nickname Jazz picked up from the Twins) started to attack all over the area._

_"Fort Syck fell pretty much without a fight, because they weren't expecting anything from the Decepticons so quickly. That ended up becoming one of their main bases outside of Kaon._

_"Next time an attack happened -- the Hydrax Plateau -- Optimus had had enough time to get a force together to try and beat the Cons back. He sent out Shape-Change and the twins with a group of mechs who had shown up out of nowhere, calling themselves 'Wreckers'. Ultra Magnus, some mech from the Elite Guard, led the group._

_"According to them, Magnus turned out to be pretty good, despite being a stiff out of battle. He was swinging away and managed to take out a few of the Cons with just electrical pulses and good dents to the helms._

_"After the battle, even though they lost, Sides, his twin, and SC ended up getting into the Wrecker 'clan'. After that, though, a lot of the planet ended up falling under the control of the Cons, with some places getting completely razed._

_"Like, for instance, Crystal City...."_

**Chapter 13**

Wildfire came to a stop as she transformed, looking around the ravaged area as Sideswipe and Sunstreaker came to a stop behind her, transforming as well.

"Man, the Cons really did a number on this place," Sideswipe noted as they looked around. "And it looked so beautiful before...."

Sections of Crystal City still burned as Wildfire and the two mechs walked forward, inspecting the damage that had been done by the invading force. Obviously, the job had been very thorough -- very few of the buildings still stood, and those that did had long since gone dark, no longer refracting the light like they once had.

"Careful -- there could still be Cons wandering around," Wildfire warned. She brought out her vibroblades, motioning for the two mechs to do the same. "Shape-Change didn't ask us to come here just because she had found something. There might be a couple stragglers that are hanging around that need to be taken care of." Her face carried a grim look about it, and the two mechs with her could tell that she meant business.

About half a cycle ago, long after the Decepticons had decimated Crystal City using one of the nastiest combiners -- a monster named Devastator -- Shape-Change had contacted Optimus Prime directly, having gone undercover to scout the area. The shifter said that she had discovered something in one of the labs, and the shifter wanted Wildfire  _and_  Sparkseer to come and fetch it before Shockwave found out that she had been poking around in the wreckage.

Apparently, she had found it in one of  _his_  signature labs, and the whatever-it-was would most likely be sorely missed.

Optimus had decided to send Wildfire, telling her to take her two pupils along with her to make sure that she wouldn't end up getting discovered alone by any remaining Decepticons. Sparkseer was told to go with them as far as the edge of the established boundary of Autobot territory. He wasn't allowed any further because Optimus didn't want to end up losing him to the Decepticons by accident, seeing as his ability was such a rare and powerful one among Cybertronians.

Not that this didn't count Wildfire's ability -- it's just that she was more likely to be able to defend herself using her power than Sparkseer was.

"What do you think SC wants us to find?" Sideswipe asked, looking around with a curious -- yet also nervous -- look on his face. "Think it's a weapon we could use against them?"

"Might be," Wildfire responded grimly. "But Shockwave is capable of creating things that are much worse than that."

The twins stopped for a moment to exchange a quick glance, then continued forward, occasionally glancing at each other while they moved. Wildfire had been quick to learn that when they did this, they were communicating using the bond that remained from when the original Spark had split. It was about as deep as the bond that sparkmates had when they had lived together for who knows how long, but it only allowed them to communicate or feel when the other was hurt -- other than that, they couldn't tell what the other was feeling or thinking.

Ratchet had compared it to the brotherly -- or sisterly -- bonds that could sometimes be formed between Cybertronians when they first came out of the well. Like the fact that Arcee, Arial, and Chromia had come out at the same time, and had considered each other sisters ever since.

"Hey -- where are we supposed to meet up with your friend?" Sunstreaker called out, nervousness in his voice. The mech hadn't liked the shifter much in the beginning -- mainly because she could take any paint job he could have tried to give her and shed it like some sort of skin. The action frightened the artist to no end, which Wildfire found amusing -- and as payback for the attempted pranks.

"It shouldn't be much further," Sideswipe answered. "Is it, Fire?"

Wildfire shook her helm. In her processor, she had the shifter's location pinpointed on a map that had been sent to her. Their present location wasn't too far from the rendezvous point Shape-Change had arranged for. "It's just a little further."

The three made their way across the wreckage, the glass crunching under their feet with every step. Wildfire could hear Sunstreaker moaning about having to repaint himself to cover all the scratches he was going to get from this. Recalling that First Aid had mentioned that the mech was slightly better about his obsession than Knock Out was, the femme shook her helm slightly. She was going to have to have a talk with Sunstreaker later about getting over his fear of scratches. Already, her own flame-job was covered in them.

"Wildfire! Over there!" Sideswipe pointed at a figure standing in the shadow of a partially collapsed building that had long-since lost its shine. The figure appeared to be guarding something, standing in a defensive manner, hunched over, looking around for anything that might turn out to be threatening.

The warrior femme's optics narrowed slightly upon catching sight of the figure, and she started forward, keeping her vibroblades up in a defensive stance in case she had to fight the figure, who was standing directly on top of the point Shape-Change had sent the coordinates for.

The warrior femme wasn't planning on taking any chances. She crouched down and started to sneak closer to the figure, which was hard considering that every step produced noise in Ground Zero.

When an especially loud  _crunch_  resounded from underneath the warrior femme's feet, the figure in the shadows looked up in alarm upon hearing the noise. When the figure saw who was coming, however, they relaxed slightly and gave a slight wave to Wildfire, moving their digits in such a way that caused Wildfire's stance to relax, as well.

"It's her," Wildfire stated, starting forward more confidently, retracting her vibroblades. She continued to glance around to see if there were any Cons in the area, but none showed themselves, allowing the three to reach the figure without incident.

"Where's Seer?" Shape-Change demanded as the group came to a stop. The shifter was holding something close to her chest, and she looked extremely defensive.

"Back at the border," Wildfire responded. "What'd you find?" She started to lean forward a little in order to try and look around Shape-Change's servos, but the shifter backed away.

"I'm not showing until Sparkseer gets here," she stated resolutely. Lately, the femme had taken to showing her emotions more often, which surprised Sparkseer to no end. The other Autobots -- Sideswipe especially -- were more surprised by the fact that she even was a shifter, and had more gadgets in her original form than the ones she borrowed. Very few Decepticons had yet to make it back to their home base of Fort Syck or the Badlands after seeing her -- the wreckage that was left behind often times hinted at some sort of cannon being used, or maybe a gatling gun. Wildfire had yet to find out how many weapons the shifter carried around with her, but it seemed to be almost limitless.

"Why do we need him?" Sunstreaker asked, frowning. "What do you need  _him_  to do?"

Sideswipe elbowed his brother in the tanks, causing the yellow mech to double over a little and glare at his twin. "She needs him to check something we can't -- duh!"

Wildfire sent the shifter a curious look, raising an optic ridge when the femme nodded slowly. "And what is it he needs to check? He can only look at Spark signatures -- you and I both know that."

"And that's exactly what I need him to do," Shape-Change responded. Her servos started to shift as she brought them away from her chest, baring the object she had found to the starlight that shone down on the remains of Crystal City. "And this is why."

Wildfire and the twins looked down at what Shape-Change was holding -- the twins looking over the warrior femme's shoulders in order to get a better look at what was in the shifter's servos.

"You have  _got_  to be kidding me," Wildfire stated, a frown coming over her face while the optics of the twins widened in surprise.

"What is that? A Mini-Con?" Sideswipe asked, turning his gaze to Shape-Change.

The shifter shook her head. "He's bigger than any Mini-Con that I have seen -- or have yet to see. And from what my own scanning system revealed, he has the features available to an average-sized Cybertronian. He's just...."

"Smaller." Sunstreaker looked at what Shape-Change held with an incredulous look on his face. "How did Shockwave manage  _that_?"

"I found data entries in his computer systems detailing that," the shifter replied. Her gaze went to what she held in her servos: a small, yellow Cybertronian in recharge, vibrant blue likes running along its form. The body type was definitely a mech, but the armor looked softer, not like what a Cybertronian might wear on a regular basis -- even when they first came out of the Well, it wasn't that soft.

"What did he do?" Wildfire asked, looking at Shape-Change.

The shifter appeared worried, and she shook her head. "I'm not going to say until we can get a diagnosis from Sparkseer. I haven't seen a Cybertronian like this before, and I want to make sure that he's functioning properly."

"Does 'he' even have a name?" Sunstreaker asked. Already, his optics were scanning the Cybertronian's paint job. "I wonder what can be done about that paint job -- he looks like that spear your friend always carries around."

"That is what I noticed, as well," Shape-Change responded. "And then he--"

The shifter was suddenly cut off when the recharging mech moved slightly, and yellow electric sparks came flying off his form, causing Wildfire's optics to widen.

"He's a miniature Jolt with a different paint job," the warrior femme noted. Her optics narrowed into slits. "We're getting him out of here." She turned and started to walk away. "Come on, you three. Let's transform and get out of this messy place."

"Wildfire...." Shape-Change warned. "My alternate form won't allow for a passenger of his size."

"You could carry Soundwave's little brats," Wildfire pointed out, turning slightly as she came to a stop.

"This little one is larger than Rumble," the shifter responded. "Can you take him?"

Wildfire looked Shape-Change in the optic for a moment, then let out an annoyed sigh and walked back over. "Fine. Hand him over."

The small mech changed servos with great care, Shape-Change looking slightly wary. Wildfire took notice.

"What?" the warrior femme asked, sending a slightly curious look at the shifter.

"Be careful," Shape-Change responded. "He isn't going to be prepared for the jostling you might give him."

Wildfire raised an optic ridge. "Me? Jostle him?" She looked down at the small mech with an analytical eye for a moment before looking back at the shifter. "I don't think that'll happen." The warrior femme gave her friend a smirk before starting towards the end of the wreckage and the start of the road. "Come on -- we need to get out of here before the Cons find us with the little guy."

**Time Break**

The group rolled into a stop in front of the outpost at the edge of Autobot territory, where Sparkseer stood waiting with a member of the Wreckers -- an Autobot named Wheeljack, who had managed to escape Crystal City during its collapse with the other Autobots. Angered by the simple fact that the Decepticons had been the ones to destroy his home, the scientist had fought back with the Autobots who had come to defend the city -- and had in the process managed to impress the Wrecker who was with them -- a former construction worker known as Bulkhead. It didn't take too long for the scientist to be accepted into their ranks -- not only because he could possibly create new weapons to possibly turn the tide, but because he was also a decent fighter with swords he had made himself.

"What's up with you guys?" Wheeljack asked as the group approached. "What did ya find, anyway?" He looked eager, if only to tear one of Shockwave's experiments apart and see how it worked.

Wildfire came to a full stop carefully before transforming, holding her servos together and close to her chest as the others followed suit.

Sparkseer, who was standing to Wheeljack's left, looked at Wildfire sharply, his optics moving to the warrior femme's servos. "What manner of Mini-Con are you carrying?" he asked softly.

"It's not a Mini-Con," Shape-Change responded. She looked over at Wildfire as the femme adjusted the small Cybertronian's position in her arms, placing the mech's head in the crook of her right arm.

Sparkseer stepped closer, his spear glowing in response to the activation of his power. "It carries traces of Jolt's Spark," the mech noted, looking down at the yellow mech.

The twins exchanged surprised glances while Wildfire's optics widened. "Jolt's Spark? How is that even possible?"

"I've got the answer for that," Shape-Change responded, a grim look on her face. "We have to return to Iacon so we can inform Optimus of this."

"Wait a nanoklik." Wheeljack glared at the mech Shape-Change had found. "Are we seriously going to be bringing that thing with us? It could be a weapon in disguise."

"Shape-Change is a  _walking_   _arsenal,_  and you're afraid of  _him_?" Wildfire asked, looking down at the still-recharging mech.

"His armor is soft -- as though it wasn't completely built up like ours when we came out of the Well," Shape-Change stated. "A single blast from anything would easily destroy him."

"His Spark spazzes in and out," Sparkseer noted. "As though it were incomplete." He looked over at Wheeljack. "It isn't as strong as yours or mine. First Aid and Ratchet must look at him in order to know for certain if he will survive to assist us." He held out his arm, and Wildfire handed over the small mech carefully. "Wheeljack, I sense your unease at this, but I can sense that this... _sparkling_...will do us no harm."

Wheeljack gave Sparkseer a curious look, and he let out a sigh and shook his helm. "All right. But if it turns out to be a weapon, don't say I didn't warn you." He motioned for them to follow him, and he promptly transformed and took off down the road to Iacon.

"Why did a scientist have need of that kind of an alt-mode?" Wildfire asked, taking note of the rather speedy form Wheeljack had.

"Why do you need yours?" Sparkseer responded with a slight smirk. He promptly transformed into a hauler of sorts, keeping the small Cybertronian in the seat that was reserved for Mini-Cons -- or Quintessans, when they had managed to alter the Well to their own uses.

Wildfire glared at the mech, then rolled her optics and transformed herself and started for Iacon, the twins following suit.

**Time Break**

"And you say you found this thing in Crystal City?" Ratchet asked, inspecting the small Cybertronian mech carefully. He and First Aid had armed themselves with scanners and other medical devices, and were looking over the yellow figure carefully while Sparkseer, Shape-Change, and Wildfire watched.

"Correct," Shape-Change responded. "I invaded one of the many laboratories Shockwave most likely keeps down there still -- he has been known to use them, even though the location is wrecked."

"I believe he find the location suitable for his own use," Sparkseer stated gravely. "Like with the sparkling."

"Sparkling?" Optimus came into the makeshift medical bay, Jazz not too far behind. In the doorway, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe peered in, curious looks on their faces.

"It carries traces of Jolt's Spark," Sparkseer explained. "As the Well does not release Cybertronians that are like this, it stands to reason that Shockwave somehow managed to replicate the effects of the Well...perhaps using a piece of Jolt's own Spark. Thus, he is a spark _ling_."

The entire medbay went silent upon hearing this.

"Shockwave created a sentient being?" First Aid asked, optics wide in fear. "I thought only the Well could to that."

"Only the Well  _should_  do that," Ratchet responded grimly. "And now we have to figure out how to take care of this." He motioned to the sparkling that lay on the berth. "From what we can tell, most of the systems are incomplete -- but, perhaps, underdeveloped would be a better term for it, as it seems that all of his systems were made with the intention of allowing him to get...bigger."

"Get bigger?" Wildfire repeated in surprise. Her stance took on a suspicious attitude. "What do you mean, get bigger?"

"I can answer that." Shape-Change walked over to a nearby computer and jacked a device into it. Instantly, data started streaming into the system, turning into data logs. "I snagged some of Shockwave's personal records while I was in there. What I found was in and of itself...surprising as well as disturbing."

Optimus walked over to the computer and started looking the data over, the serious look on his face becoming a look of shock. "This is disturbing," he stated, concerned.

"What?" Wildfire stepped forward, a curious look on her face.

Optimus stepped to one side, motioning for the warrior femme to take a look herself.

Wildfire's optics went over the screen, a serious look on her face.  _"I have recently discovered a transmission -- from an organic planet, it seems. I cannot calculate how far away the planet is at this time, but that will soon be completed._

_"The transmission detailed the creation of organics. While it is illogical for us to reproduce as they, it is logical to alter the Well's matrix to create what they refer to as newborns. I have already succeeded in creating the first of these using a piece of a willing volunteer's Spark. Now, I will see if it is possible for it to survive to a mature size."_

Wildfire looked away from the screen, a shocked look on her face. "So he used a piece of Jolt's Spark...." The femme turned to look at Shape-Change and Sparkseer. "Did you guys hear anything about this?"

"Jolt was spending more time with Shockwave and Barricade," Shape-Change noted. "It is possible that the experiment was started during that time, but I didn't see much of a change in him between the time you left and the time we left."

"I did." Sparkseer's optics flashed a lighter shade of blue. "His Spark seemed to be in pain almost the cycle after Wildfire had left. He had disappeared with Barricade and Shockwave not too long before, and their Sparks had carried some sort of...grim intent about them."

The group exchanged glances.

"So, what are we going to do about him?" Sideswipe piped up from the doorway. "We're not going to offline the little guy, are we?"

"He doesn't look like he's too much of a threat -- or too much of a help," Sunstreaker pointed out, looking at his brother. "He's just another mouth to feed."

First Aid and Ratchet looked at each other, gauging their reactions to the mech's statement.

"One of us should look after him," Ratchet decided, "until we can figure out what specifically to do with him."

"Who, though?" Jazz asked, frowning. "A lot of Bots would probably rather see da little guy dead den anythin' else."

Wildfire thought back to the look that had been on Wheeljack's face and nodded slightly in agreement.

"I was not suggesting that anyone not here take him," Ratchet responded, his gaze moving around to look at those present.

"One of us?" Wildfire frowned. "We have to be out on the battlefield, not looking after this little thing." She looked at the still-recharging form of the yellow sparkling. "There's no way any of us would be able to find the time to look after him."

"We ought to stop calling him 'him'," First Aid noted. "He deserves a name, at least."

The group looked at the small Cybertronian, their faces forming frowns as they tried to think up an actual name for the sparkling.

Wildfire's face was especially contorted, her processor running at near-light speed as she tried to think up something that would actually make sense as a name for him. "Created from Jolt's Spark with an organic species in mind...." The warrior femme's frown deepened.

As the group thought, the sparkling started to stir on the berth, the helm turning a little. Optics slowly came online, and a shade of the purest blue looked up at the group with at first a fearful expression, but then a curious one. Everyone noted that the blue lines on his form seemed to shimmer slightly, as though they were moving in order to coil around him.

"Coil," Shape-Change stated. Everyone turned to look at her. "It seems to fit. And he can always choose a new one when he becomes more mature."

Optimus Prime thought before nodding. "Coil it is." He looked down at the sparkling. "Welcome to the world, Coil."

The little yellow mech looked around in confusion, as though he was trying to discern his surroundings before settling on looking at Wildfire, Shape-Change, and Sparkseer, who were standing side by side at Coil's right. The sparkling's optics seemed to shine with some sort of unidentifiable emotion before reaching out and grabbing Wildfire's left servo, which was on the berth in a relaxed position.

A spark of pain shot up through Wildfire's frame, and she let out a yelp of alarm. Stumbling backwards and thereby freeing herself from the sparkling's grip, she bumped into Sparkseer and Shape-Change, who stiffened as similar waves ran through them.

"What was that?" Sideswipe asked, looking at Coil in alarm. The sparkling was sitting up, now, and was looking around at the room with a curious expression.

Sparkseer let out a grunt. "This feeling...!" He looked at Coil. "Somehow, the sparkling managed to create ties to us -- a more primitive version of the bond which holds you together, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker." He looked over at the twins. "Shape-Change, was there anything mentioned in Shockwave's data logs about something like this occurring?"

Wildfire blinked in alarm as she sensed confusion and concern that wasn't her own. Shape-Change then stated, "I didn't see anything concerning bonds in Shockwave's entries. He mustn't have experienced it."

"If he did, then we would probably feel his anger at having the sparkling removed from his lab," Wildfire noted grimly. She got up from where she and the other two had collapsed onto the ground and managed to get completely onto her feet when another feeling that wasn't hers hit the warrior femme: hunger.

"And now, it seems the sparkling's hungry," Shape-Change noted.

The two medics exchanged glances upon hearing this.

"We still have to figure out how safe a dosage would be for a Cybertronian of his kind," Ratchet pointed out, motioning to the sparkling. "Obviously, it will have to be adjusted as he grows."

"Just give him a Mini-Con's share," Sunstreaker stated with a shrug. "That'll probably be good enough."

"Aha!" Everyone turned to face Jazz, who had been going through the data entries from Shockwave's lab. "Found it!"

"Found what, old friend?" Optimus Prime inquired, giving the white mech a curious look.

"Shockwave's already planed out a ration for da little guy," Jazz responded. "It's half a Mini-Con ration, 'cause anymore an' his systems'll take it a bad way."

"I was worrying about that happening," Ratchet noted. "We don't know what will occur that will cause the sparkling's systems of overload and force him into stasis -- which, at this point, I would not recommend for him, as we have yet to learn everything we can about him." He turned and started to prepare the ration, using an Energon dispenser they kept in the medical bay for that very purpose.

"How're we supposed to figure out everything, though?" Sunstreaker asked. "Are we going to tear him apart and put him back together?"

A mental shriek went through the bond that tied Coil to Shape-Change, Sparkseer, and Wildfire, and the three flinched.

"Not recommended," Shape-Change managed. "It is likely Shockwave did that to him more times in a cycle than anyone would dare to count." She reached over as Ratchet returned with a small cube of Energon, assisting the medic in getting the sparkling to swallow it. Still, some of the blue substance ended up dribbling down the sides of his mouth.

"Then we will have to check on him every cycle," Ratchet decided. "To make sure his systems are running properly and that we won't have to deal with any...unexpected issues."

Coil looked up upon hearing this, giving Ratchet a confused look. Wildfire sensed that the sparkling recognized some of the words, but couldn't identify their actual meaning. The yellow mech probably couldn't even speak at this point.

"So long as we don't end up trying to tear him open," the warrior femme stated grimly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Since the sparkling pretty much chose his caretakers for us," Shape-Change stated, motioning to herself and the other two, "where are we going to keep him? I doubt he's going to be capable of handling being separated from all of us for too long."

"It is likely that he will have to switch between each of your quarters," Optimus Prime noted. "One cycle or so with each of you, to allow for the others to fulfill whatever duties they've been assigned." He paused for a moment, then looked over at Jazz with a slightly curious expression. Upon seeing the white mech standing there with a frown on his face that turned into a smirk not too long after, the Autobot leader inquired. "What is it that you have on your processor?"

"Oh, it's nothin' you'd probably be interested in," Jazz responded snidely.

Wildfire's optics narrowed. "You're hiding something," she noted, giving the mech a suspicious look. "What is it?"

"Uh.... Nothin' you oughta worry yer little helm over fer now." Jazz paused for a moment. "I gotta go. Have good luck wit' da sparklin'!" With that Jazz slipped out passed the twins, who were exchanging suspicious glances.

"What got into him?" Sideswipe asked, turning his helm to watch Jazz walk down the corridor and deeper into the Hall of Records. "Something's up with that mech."

"There's always something up with that mech," Sunstreaker responded. Turning his attention to the shifter, the yellow mech asked, "Think you can tail him and figure out what's up?"

Shape-Change didn't even give a word of warning; she disappeared instead. A moment later, something leapt up onto the berth, walked around Coil -- earning a wave of surprise across the bond -- and out the door and down the corridor in the direction Jazz had gone.

"Well, I guess that settles that," Sideswipe noted. He looked back into the room. "So, what now?"

"Now, I go to speak with Alpha Trion," Sparkseer replied. "He told me before I left that he wished to speak with me."

"Which leaves me looking over the sparkling," Wildfire noted, an unhappy look coming across her face. "Great." She looked down at Coil as he looked back up at her with a curious expression which quickly turned into a cheerful one as she picked him up and placed him in the crook of her left arm. "Now to figure out how to keep him busy."

"You should talk to Wheeljack about that, probably," First Aid responded. "He could probably put something together for him to play with."

Wildfire shook her helm. "That Wrecker made it really clear that he did not want to be within a mechanometer of Coil. I doubt he'll make anything to keep him busy."

"I could probably put something together," Sideswipe volunteered.

"And risk it blowing up in his face?" Sunstreaker countered.

"Hey -- that's what happens with most of Wheeljack's stuff, not mine! Besides, I wasn't going to make it like any of my pranking stuff -- maybe just...like a mind puzzle or something -- I dunno!" Sideswipe sent a glare at his twin. "It won't be like my fireworks, I can tell you that."

"It better not be," Wildfire responded, sending a glare in the twins' direction. She felt Coil repositioning himself in her arms so that he could get a tight grip on the armor that covered her arm. "We're going to have to find a way to outfit our quarters with smaller berths, too, unless you think we're going to end up sharing with this one."

"None of us are miracle workers," Ratchet responded, "but it is possible for us to at least do something about the situation. Considering that there is still a war going on, not all of the criteria are going to be met."

"I'm aware of that," Wildfire responded shortly. She started out of the room, Coil still cradled in one arm. "I'm heading to my quarters. If anyone wants to find me, you know where I am."


	14. Chapter 14

**Extras (11): Coil**

_"Living with a Mini-Con that wasn't really a Mini-Con but is actually some sort of slowly-growing Cybertronian is not something that any one of us had to work with before. And having him...bonded with all of us is not something that I had expected, either._

_"After we first ended up with that little thing, it was kind of...strange, what with all of our emotions open to each other. Shape-Change was a little uncomfortable with the whole thing, but she was already starting to show emotion a little outside of her quarters anyway. Sparkseer was simply delighted to be able to know how to work with us and Coil without using his ability, even when he was off on one of his 'secret training' things with Alpha Trion._

_"And keeping up with Coil was also tiresome, even when Jazz's suggested 'toys' kept him busy. I wondered where his ideas all came from, though. My friends -- perhaps I should call them 'siblings' -- knew as well, even when Shape-Change wouldn't tell me what she had found out._

_"And she figured that I would find out eventually." ****_

**Chapter 14**

Wildfire looked around the corridor, looking for any sign of the certain white mech that she had been following not but a moment earlier. She was certain he had been walking down this way....but then Jazz had vanished.

The warrior femme wondered if Shape-Change had given the Special Ops agent one of her spare Light Refractors...or if Jazz had one of his own.

"Come on, come on," the ex-gladiator muttered to herself. "I know he's got to be around here somewhere."

Wildfire felt slight confusion on Sparkseer's end of the bond, annoyance from Shape-Change, and pure, unadulterated curiosity from Coil. Again, it surprised her how Coil managed to keep that part of him restrained when out in public.

Wildfire turned her helm as she caught sight of a white flash out of the corner of her optic. Hoping it was Jazz, she turned and started towards it, grinning as the back of the white mech fully came into view. He appeared to be carrying something, as his back was bent forward, helm ducked, and the warrior femme could distinctly hear him murmuring something that didn't sound like Cybertronian.

"What are you doing, Jazz?" the femme called out, causing the mech to stiffen up. A smirk appeared on her face as she came over confidently while Jazz turned slowly, shifting his servos so that she couldn't see what he was carrying.

"Who, me?" Jazz asked, an innocent smile on his face. At least, as innocent as he could make it, from what it looked like to Wildfire.

"Is there any other mech by the name of Jazz in Iacon?" Wildfire responded with a smirk. She frowned and placed her servos on her hips. "What are you carrying in your servos? I know you've got something there."

Jazz glanced down at his servos for a moment before looking back at Wildfire. The warrior femme saw hesitation on his face, as well as a slight nervousness that she hadn't expected to see in the bouncy mech.

"Why do ya want ta know?" Jazz inquired, one end of his visor going up -- he was raising an optic ridge.

"It's been bothering me for the last few Solar-Cycles, and I'm not going to stop until you show me what it is that you're hiding." Wildfire's optics narrowed. "Besides, I doubt that you'd be able to come up with the word 'toys' and those other ideas so quickly."

Something let out a yell, and Wildfire's optics shot down to Jazz's servos, which were starting to clench.

"Sorry," Jazz muttered under his breath, relaxing his hold. He looked Wildfire as directly in the optics as possible, then asked, "You can keep a secret, right?"

Wildfire raised an optic ridge. "I kept my friends' abilities secret for who knows how many Orbital-Cycles. I think you're good." She glanced down at his servos again before looking back up.

Jazz let out a sigh. "All right, den. Come on -- I'd feel better if we did this in ma room." He turned and walked away, Wildfire following close behind. "You remember dat transmission OP mentioned? De one dat had de music?"

Wildfire nodded. "And caused you to change your voice. I remember."

"Well, dere's a lot more dat's gotten here since den. Shockwave's transmission is a hint o' dat." Jazz stopped in front of a door and punched a code into the pad next to it, causing it to slide open, revealing his quarters...which looked like a mess. Cybertronians didn't have much to make a mess to begin with, but it looked like Jazz's room had turned into a junkyard. What made up most of the mess appeared to be miniaturized pieces of furniture, which were scattered in one corner of the room, while scrap metal lay scattered about in piles.

"What happened in here?" Wildfire asked, frowning. "It looks like you let a magnetic windstorm in here."

"Sometin' like that," Jazz responded. He moved over to his writing desk, and placed his servos down, muttering something that wasn't recognizable.

"What--" Wildfire's optics widened upon seeing what it was that Jazz was letting off his servo. "What _are_ those things?"

"Organics," Jazz responded. He straightened, having placed his cargo down. "Or, humans, ta be more precise."

"Humans?" Wildfire frowned, then leaned forward so as to have a closer look at the four figures that stood on Jazz's desk. "How'd you figure that out? And what were you speaking just now?"

"English," Jazz explained. "It's one o' dere languages. 'Parently, dere's s'posed ta be 'bout fifty, at least."

"Fifty?" Wildfire didn't take her gaze off the four humans: none of them quite reached the height of a Mini-Con, but two of them were decently close. They all appeared to be wearing some sort of material -- it could have been armor, but it appeared to be too soft. And, from what the warrior femme had heard of organics, they weren't as tough as Cybertronians were. "That's pretty diverse."

As she spoke, the two smaller humans retreated behind the two larger ones, who looked up at Wildfire with concerned, curious expressions.

Jazz nodded. "And de entire planet's separated into smaller things called countries, and dere's a lot more o' dem dan languages."

"Uh-huh." Wildfire sent Jazz a glance before returning her gaze to the humans; one of them was gripping the other's tightly, a scared look on its face, while the other stood in a resolute stance, as if to show that it wasn't afraid of her. "Think you could teach me some of that English stuff? I'd kind of like to get on their level without having to use you as some sort of translator."

Jazz stood still for a moment, before stating, "I sent a datapack. Should be gettin' into ya head in three, two..."

Wildfire sensed a package of data slipping into her processor, and she mentally opened it, revealing data on the human language, as well as other things besides -- about their culture, mainly. The warrior femme had to admit, she as surprised at how far these humans had managed to progress -- she was expecting even further, if there were four of them here.

"Head...that's an English word, isn't it?" Wildfire asked, looking at Jazz curiously.

Jazz nodded. "Yeah. Didja figure out how to switch between English and Cybertronian yet?"

"I think so." She turned to face the humans, a guarded look on her face.

"Name's Wildfire," she stated. The words, as they were English, felt strange in her mouth. "Who're you four?"

The humans jumped a little, then looked at each other, the stances of the smaller two showing nervousness.

"I'm Morgen," the slightly taller of the two larger humans finally spoke -- in a mech's voice no less. Now that Wildfire had some knowledge of the humans, she knew he was wearing jeans, tennis shoes, and a blue T-shirt that read, in white, "Now I've seen everything." The warrior femme couldn't help but feel that was highly ironic, considering that she was thinking the same thing. Wildfire found it slightly interesting that they referred to their optics as "eyes," and the strange, stringy stuff on the top of their helms as "hair". Morgen had blue eyes and brown hair, and the warrior femme wondered what other sort of colors the humans could have.

"This is Katie," Morgen continued, wrapping an arm around the other in an affectionate manner. She, like him was wearing jeans and tennis shoes, only she had a long-sleeve white shirt with strange, multicolored, swirling patterns. Her eyes were green and her hair was black.

"And our children, Matthew and Maria." He motioned to the figures who were hiding behind him. The smaller pair hid behind the larger pair, peeking out with wide blue eyes at the giant robot.

"We arrived here by accident," Katie spoke up, looking directly at Wildfire with an unreadable expression.

"Accident?" Wildfire repeated, raising an optic ridge. "How so?"

"Honestly, we're not sure what happened," Katie continued -- a femme, definitely. "One minute, we're watching...something on television, the next, our TV turned into a whirlpool and sucked us in. After that, the next thing we remember is waking up here, in Jazz's room."

"And you've been hiding in here ever since," Wildfire guessed. When the two humans nodded, the warrior femme turned her attention to Jazz and switched back to Cybertronian. "You should take these two and show them to Alpha Trion and Optimus Prime -- they could figure out a way for these two to get back to wherever they came from."

"The planet is called Earth," Jazz stated stubbornly. "An' I was plannin' on doin' dat when ya caught me by surprise."

"Oh?" Wildfire noticed that the two humans were exchanging confused and concerned glances as they spoke -- obviously, they didn't understand Cybertronian yet, which in the warrior femme's opinion was a good thing for now.

"Yeah. An' if yer goin' to say sometin' about de humans bein' here, don't worry about it so much. Morgen said dere was someone who said dat he needed to be here for some reason." Jazz shrugged. "It took me a while to find a cycle when OP was really free for a klik or two, but I managed."

Wildfire frowned, glaring at the mech. "You and your Special Ops gadgets," she muttered. "Does anybody else know about them besides you, me, and probably Shape-Change? Because I doubt they can do this whatever it is they have to do locked up in your quarters."

"Alpha Trion was here when dey appeared out of nowhere," Jazz responded. "He wanted ta talk to me 'bout sometin'."

"And anyone else?"

"Nope! Don't know how everybody's gonna react to 'em. Sides, OP should see 'em first."

Wildfire crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I doubt that they're going to try to swarm you when you show the humans to them eventually. And I think they're going to want to know where you picked up those terms you've been using, anyway."

"Are you guys talking about us?"

Wildfire's gaze moved slightly, catching sight of Katie giving the two a curious look.

Wildfire switched to English; the femme realized that if she was going to keep doing this, she was going to have to be careful about saying the language in public, when she wasn't conversing with the humans.

"I don't see why Jazz has to keep you two hidden when you could work with us and figure out the reason for your being here faster so that you can go back to where you came from," Wildfire stated matter-of-factly.

"Are you saying you don't want us here?" Morgen asked, his eyes narrowing.

"We're in the middle of a war, mech." Wildfire got down again so that she could look the human in the optic more clearly. The two smaller figures behind him backed up a step; they looked almost like copies of Morgen, except that one of them was a femme. "In case you haven't noticed, some of us don't exactly have time to relax and play with you just to keep you occupied."

"You're doin' dat wit' de sparkling," Jazz pointed out with a smirk, having also switched to English.

Wildfire shot him a deadpan expression. "That's beside the point!" she snapped. On the other ends of the bonds, Shape-Change was still annoyed, but both Coil _and_ Sparkseer were curious, now. The latter was probably wondering what it was that was making Wildfire so annoyed and angry. "I have to do that with him or else who knows what's going to happen if I take my optics off him for one nanoklik!"

"Sparkling?" Katie repeated, frowning.

" _That_ 's why Jazz asked us for ideas for toys," piped up the small femme, blue eyes sparking with understanding. "They have a baby!"

**Wildfire's POV (first)**

_Baby,_ I thought. The file I got from Jazz was quick to pull up a definition. _Newborn. Sparkling. What humans refer to those who are just given life._

I thought that there was something up when Jazz started to spew out those ideas. Turning my attention to the white mech as I stood up, I stated, "I'm starting to see more and more reasons for why you wanted to show these guys to Optimus, at least."

"That's your leader, right?" the small mech piped up from the desk. "You've mentioned him and Alpha Trion a few times already."

My gaze moved back to the humans, who definitely looked curious about me and the Autobot I had mentioned. "Yes, Optimus Prime is our leader. And I doubt he likes to have secrets kept from him for too long." I shot Jazz a disgruntled look. "Especially when they're being kept by his best friend."

"Look, I know OP wouldn't like me for it, but I don't want ta inconvenience everybody wit' da humans now dat we got da sparklin' to worry about!" Jazz held up his servos in a defensive stance; I was tempted to tackle him and pummel him for keeping gem hidden for so long. "Besides, I said I was goin' ta show 'em to OP, didn't I?"

It still didn't feel right to me -- and I had lived with a shifter who kept secrets for who knew how long.

"Jazz, she just wants to make sure you tell this Optimus guy you mentioned," Morgen stated, sounding calm about it. He didn't seem to be too worried about the fact that I was starting to slip into a stance that meant I might attack anything at any moment. "What's the harm in that?"

"He's not the crazy scientist type, is he?" Katie asked. She definitely sounded nervous.

The question caught me off guard for a moment, but I quickly recovered with a snort of amusement. "Optimus? A scientist? You have to be pulling my leg. He's a _librarian_! Librarians don't tear apart creatures they haven't seen before. They look stuff up!" I looked at Jazz with a smirk on my face. "If you really think that he's going to do anything to your little friends, you've got another thing coming." That English language was starting to become more comfortable to use, and I wondered if I would end up switching back and forth in the middle of a conversation with Shape-Change or something.

Jazz looked a little surprised at my statement, then shook his helm a moment before smirking a little. "Yeah, ya gotta point. Dere's nobody like Shockwave around here to do sometin' like dat."

"Shockwave?" the small femme -- Maria, was it? -- repeated, concern in her voice.

"A Decepticon," I replied in passing. "No one you want to get near, much less converse with. He'd probably rather tear you apart than converse with you." My voice came out grimly, and I was prepared to punch something for what the one-optic Con had done in order to make Coil.

I felt relief from the little sparkling at this.

"Decepticon," Morgen muttered. "Jazz mentioned that before." He looked up at me with a curious -- but also serious -- expression. I have to say, the human has to have some pretty decent bearings for one so small. "They're the people you're fighting against, are't they?"

"Yeah, you could say that." I looked over at Jazz. "How much have you told them about what's going on?"

Jazz tried to keep a stoic face, but my glare eventually wore him down. I knew him well enough that he wasn't going to just say no whenever I gave him a look.

"Not much," the Autobot admitted. "Dey know we're at war, but dat's about it."

I wanted to smack the mech for that. "They don't know what they got into, you're keeping them locked in your quarters like some sort of strange pet, and the only others who know are the old mech, the shifter, and me. They have to know the situation, and I'm willing to tell everyone myself if you don't."

"What kind of nonsense are you talking in?"

I turned my head to the doorway, where Sparkseer was peering in. Coil -- who had somehow hit a slight growth spurt of some sort -- was perched on one hip and hugging the larger mech's form tightly.

I felt his surprise the moment Sparkseer's gaze went to the four humans. "By the AllSpark -- what is _that_?"

Jazz let out an annoyed sigh and slapped himself in the face with a servo, producing an excited laugh from Coil. That got me to stiffen up, switching back to Cybertronian as I did.

"He's...laughing?" I asked, turning to look at the sparkling curiously.

"Ratchet got him to start," Sparkseer responded. "Apparently, there's a certain spot that causes him to laugh."

"Humans call it bein' ticklish," Jazz explained, a slightly annoyed look on his face.

Sparkseer looked at him sharply, a confused look on his face. "What?"

I motioned to the four humans on the desk, who were looking at my friend and the sparkling with curious expressions, Katie and the smaller humans looking like she wanted to get closer, if their faces were any indication. "These are the organics Jazz has been hiding in his quarters for the past few cycles. He says they're 'humans'."

I sensed Coil's curiosity almost overwhelm me; he was probably going to want to play with them next.

"Alpha Trion knows they're here, and this is probably what Shape-Change promised to keep secret about," I continued. "I think the others should hear about them so that we can send them back to where they came from."

"Send them back?" Sparkseer repeated.

"They're not supposed to be here, Seer. And, as we're in the middle of a war, it would be better that they would be sent back to where they came from." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Is that...the sparkling?" Katie asked, pointing to Coil while a look of awe was plastered on her face. I gave her a nod in return. On Shape-Change's end of the bond, she had realized what was going on and seemed to feel rushed -- although what she was rushing through, I had no clue.

"How is it that you can understand them?" Sparkseer inquired, frowning slightly.

"Jazz figured it out," I responded, jabbing a digit in the white mech's direction. "All it took was sending a file wirelessly. He could probably do it to you, too."

Jazz sent a glare over in my direction, but then returned his gaze to Sparkseer and Coil. "Just sent it."

Sparkseer blinked for a moment before his optics seemed to dim slightly -- more likely than not, he was going through the information that was sent to him. A nanoklik later, he stated, in English, "My name is Sparkseer. Who do I have the honor of speaking to?"

The four humans exchanged quick glances.

"I'm Katie, and this is Morgen, and our children, Matthew and Maria," Katie stated, taking a slight step forward. "Please -- what's the sparkling's name?"

"Coil," Sparkseer replied. A slight smile crossed his face, and I saw his optics flicker a moment to a more electric shade of blue -- no doubt he was attempting to use his ability on the humans. If he was actually succeeding, it would be surprising if it worked -- I mean, Cybertronians seeing each others Sparks is one thing, but seeing the lifesource of an organic? How does _that_ work?

"The young one has yet to speak for himself, but I have not sensed any discomfort from his present name as of yet," Sparkseer added.

"What do you mean by that?" Morgen asked, frowning.

"The kid managed to create a sibling-bond between dese two and de shifter," Jazz explained. "It kinda helps when we want ta know when Coil's hungry."

"Right now, he's curious," I stated, glancing over at Coil. "And delighted. I think he thinks that the humans are either playmates...or toys." I looked over at Morgen and Katie, who exchanged slightly worried -- but also eager -- glances at my statement. The smaller humans looked delighted, as well. It seems that the femmes and smaller forms of the organic species are delighted at the prospect of being able to play with sparklings of any sort. I hadn't seen the transmission Shockwave had found yet, but Ratchet and First Aid had both insisted that I don't -- they said it was too barbaric to look at.

All they'd said was that one mech and one femme were involved, and that the sparkling that comes out of it is very close to the femme creator for the first few Orbital-Cycles of its life. Perhaps, the femme was hoping for a little practice of that closeness, even though....It took me a moment to realize that the pair of smaller humans -- Katie and Morgen had said _children_ multiple times -- might be human sparklings.

"Do you think we could interact with him -- just for a little while?" Katie asked, a bright smile on her face.

Sparkseer appeared uncertain. "I am unsure as to whether or not that would be a good idea at this point. Coil's armor is soft, and might become damaged if pressed in the wrong place. He has already suffered much...." He looked down at Coil, who gained a concerned look, then looked up at Sparkseer with a pleading expression. The sparkling's need for play caused a smirk to tug at my mouth, tempting me to break out into a full-blown grin.

I had to keep myself in check, though -- so I didn't let it go any further than a smirk.

"For a mech who can't talk, he certainly communicates pretty well," I noted dryly. "Put him down, Seer -- let's see what he thinks of the humans."

The blue mech shot me a look of surprise, then looked over at the humans with a curious expression before returning his gaze to Coil, whose pleading look increased greatly.

After a moment, Sparkseer nodded. "All right." He carefully maneuvered himself so that he could deposit Coil on the writing desk, the sparkling sitting down somewhere close to the two taller humans. I took a nanoklik to look between the two and compare their sizes; Coil was probably a little taller that Morgen was -- if he was standing on his own two feet, that is.

"Be careful -- we do not want to press him to his limits yet," Sparkseer warned.

"Don't worry -- we'll be careful," Katie promised. She made her way over to Coil, who cocked his helm to one side as he watched the human approached. "Hi, Coil. My name is Katie." She sat down on the sparkling's right side and snuggled up next to him, delighting the little yellow mech to no end. "Wow, Sparkseer, you're right -- his armor _is_ soft. It's definitely nothing like Jazz's hands."

"Hands?" Sparkseer gave Jazz a curious look. "What does that mean?"

"It's deir word for servos," Jazz explained, holding up his own. "Like 'eyes' are optics, 'ears' are audio sensors, and a 'nose' refers to deir olfactory sensors."

"Interesting." Sparkseer turned his gaze to Coil, who was giving Morgen a curious look while Katie tried to coax the mech over to sit next to the sparkling. Matthew and Maria were already approaching the sparkling on their own.

I guess when it comes to a Cybertronian that's his size, Morgen becomes nervous -- unlike when he looked at either me or Jazz.

"And they are the ones you got the term 'toys' from as well, yes?" Sparkseer asked.

"Yeah, dat's right." Jazz nodded. "And dere's a lot more to deir culture, too. I mean, dey have celebrations on certain cycles with music and parties -- I want to get a Space Bridge workin' again so I can go dere myself!"

"After the war," I stated. An idea came to my processor then. "Or, we can use it as a side project for Wheeljack -- so we can send these four home."

"And an ambassador!" Jazz grinned hugely as he added something onto my original idea. "Dat'd be awesome!"

Awesome? Another English definition popped into my processor. _Something that delights the person saying the term._

So Jazz wants to go to this Earth that badly, does he? Well then. I was a little curious, too, but not excited enough about it to say _that._

"If you want that to happen, you're going to have to show the humans to the others in order for them to get an idea of why you want a Space Bridge working again," I stated, a slight smirk coming across my face. I've got him trapped, now.

Jazz started to nod, an eager look on his face, only for a frown to replace it. "Hang on a nanoklik--"

"Wildfire is right," Sparkseer cut in. "It would not be recommended that you leave the humans hiding here. They could be of some use to us here in the Hall of Records, rather than locked in your personal office and quarters."

"Hall of Records?" Katie looked up, pausing the strange game she had been playing with Coil and her children -- something about putting their hands together to create a human concoction called a "cake," whatever that is. "We're in some sort if...historical archives building?"

"You didn't even tell them _that_?" I asked, sending Jazz a look.

"I didn't think I needed to!" was the response I got. This earned him a growl of annoyance and my face connected with my servo in an annoyed fashion. Sparkseer just shook his helm.

"I've been thinking."

Our gazes turned to look at Morgen who had finally moved to sit next to Coil -- the sparkling keeping the mech close while Katie looked on with a smirk on her face.

"Thinking about what?" I asked, looking down at the mech while I raised an optic ridge.

"Our language -- you guys didn't recognize any of it." Morgen managed to slip out of Coil's grip -- the sparkling was disappointed by this, but was quickly delighted when Katie came over and took the mech's place. The English database I now carried referred to the action as a 'hug'. I knew for certain that I wouldn't be caught offlined doing it. "What if you use our language as a secret code for communication? If the Decepticons have been monitoring your transmissions at all, they probably won't be able to figure out what you're doing so quickly."

The three of us regular-sized Cybertronians exchanged a quick glance; the look on Jazz's face turning into a delighted grin.

"Yeah," the Special Ops agent agreed. "No one'd have ta worry about Soundwave trying to break through and sendin' Cons to pick us off!" He made a fist with one servo and brought a digit up in a gesture I hadn't seen before -- probably a human one. "Good idea, Morgen! De Cons won't know what we're talkin' about!" He looked like he had just found a hidden cash of high-grade Energon and had near-overloaded his processor with it. A moment later, he was holding out his servos else the humans climbed on. "I don't know how OP's gonna react, though."

"He's not going to pick them apart," I pointed out.

"I'm not worried about dat -- I'm worried he's gonna keep glitchin' until he sees dat dey _aren't_ a hologram. And den he's gonna glitch again when he gets too many questions."

"Glitch?" Katie repeated, confused. "What's that?"

"A Cybertronian's circuits freeze up and the collapse, stiff as a metal rod," I explained dryly. "Their processors have to reboot after that."

"So it's like a human when he faints," Morgen noted. "I'd kind of like to meet this guy."

"I believe that can be arranged." Sparkseer sent Jazz a look. "You do realize that you cannot keep these organics hidden for much longer."

"I figured dat as soon as Wildfire walked in," Jazz responded. He let out a sigh. "All right. We'll go talk to OP about it."

**Time Break -- 3rd POV**

"Ratchet, ya mind gettin' ova here?"

The medic responded instantly. _::What is it? Is something wrong with any of the other Autobots, Jazz?::_

"Nothin' serious, Ratchet." The white mech looked over at a nearby figure that was lying on the floor, stiff as a metal rod. "Optimus just glitched, dat's all."

 _::Optimus glitched?! I'll be there in a nanoklik!::_ The connection was promptly cut.

"He's coming," Jazz reported, looking over at Wildfire. The warrior femme was holding Coil in the same place Sparkseer had when the mech had stumbled upon the organics, and she had a slightly bored expression on her face.

"Good, because I don't think that we want to have him glitching again," Wildfire stated. She had switched back to Cybertronian after leaving Jazz's quarters, and had yet to return to English. Sparkseer, however, was looking at the four humans that had been placed on Optimus Prime's desk, and he was in a quiet conversation with them. Wildfire wasn't quite sure what they were talking about, but whatever it was, the mech seemed to be pretty animated about it.

"It was bad enough when Sparkseer and you walked in talking in that human language -- he had to glitch when Katie waved." Wildfire sent a pointed glare at the mentioned human, who caught sight of this and glared back.

"Didn't I warn ya dat he would?" Jazz responded, throwing up his servos. "Ratchet'll prob'ly end up glitchin', too."

"Me? Glitch?"

Ratchet walked out of a doorway and came over to Optimus' chosen corner of that floor of the Hall of Records.

"What would you know or have that would make me glitch?" the medic asked, frowning.

Wildfire pointed to the desk while Sparkseer looked up upon hearing Ratchet approach. The four humans turned slightly, catching sight of the newcomer.

"Who's that?" Morgen asked, looking up at the red and white mech while Matthew stared with wide eyes.

"Ratchet," Sparkseer muttered in reply. "He's one of the two medics we have on hand here in Iacon." The mech had been quick to pick up on certain human terms, and was already starting to slip into their "lingo," as Jazz called it.

Ratchet blinked as the unfamiliar language reached his audio sensors. His optics quickly narrowed, and he turned to look at Jazz. "Where did those... _creatures_ come from?"

"Another planet," Jazz responded with a slight shrug. "Dey got here by accident, and I've been keepin' an optic on 'em ever since. Dey're organics -- humans." He motioned to the presently offline Autobot lying on the floor. "Wouldja mind gettin' 'im up so I won't hafta say dis more den once?"

The medic glanced over at Optimus, then walked over and did something to the back of the Autobot's neck. Optimus' optics came online almost a nanoklik later.

Optimus let out a grunt as he started to sit up, taking note that Ratchet was giving him a servo at getting up.

"Ah hope ya don't do dat again," Jazz warned, looking at his friend with a hint of amusement. "Really, I don't want ta have to go through everythin' all over again."

Optimus frowned. "What are you--" He caught sight of the humans standing on his desk, and his optics widened to the maximum. "What are those?"

"Organics," Jazz responded with a smirk. "Or, more accurately, humans, from a planet called Earth. Seer and I were speakin' deir language when we walked in."

Optimus blinked in surprise. "Their language? You mean you managed to translate and learn it?"

"And he sent the file to us, too," Wildfire responded, motioning her herself and Sparkseer. She could here the blue mech muttering her words instantly after she had; obviously, he was working as a translator until Ratchet and Optimus could learn the language, as well.

"Would it be possible that you could send me the data file, as well?" Optimus asked. "I would like to speak with them using their language."

"Easily done!" Jazz responded with a smirk. "I'll send it to Hatchet, too."

_CLANG!_

Jazz rubbed his helm and sent the medic a glare while Ratchet smirked in return, holding his wrench in both hands.

The four humans stared at Ratchet in surprise while Sparkseer let out a laugh.

"Why did he just do that?" Matthew asked, looking over at Sparkseer in confusion.

"Whenever anyone refers to Ratchet as 'Hatchet,' they end up with that wrench hitting the back of their heads," Sparkseer replied with a chuckle. "It's hilarious when it happens."

_CLANG!_

"Especially when it happens to somebody else!" Jazz agreed in English, pointing and laughing at Sparkseer, who was rubbing his own helm and looking at Ratchet in surprise.

"Even if you say it in another language, you will still get the wrench," Ratchet stated matter-of-factly. He turned his gaze to the humans, then leaned forward a little in order to get a better look at them, his optics scanning their forms in order to get a better idea as to what they were specifically. "And how did you manage to keep these four hidden?"

"Wasn' hard," Jazz responded. "And, uh, Ratchet, I'd suggest switchin' to English so dey can have a part o' dey conversation."

The medic sent a glare in Jazz's direction, then let out a sigh. "Very well." His next statement was in the humans' language. "My name is Ratchet, Autobot medic. Who are you four?"

"Morgen," Morgen responded.

"And I'm Katie," Katie added.

"I'm Maria!" Maria yelled up. She grabbed her brother's arm. "And this is Matthew!"

"Let go!" Matthew yelped, tearing himself out of his sister's grip.

Ratchet raised an optic ridge. "Odd names."

"I could say the same to you," Morgen responded with a smirk. "I mean, it's not every day that we meet someone named after a natural disaster." He looked over in Wildfire's direction, causing the warrior femme to look back at him in surprise.

"Natural disaster? Me?" Wildfire raised an optic ridge. "Fires run rampant on your world?"

"Only when lightning storms strike in dry areas," Katie responded. "We've had problems with earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes...the list goes on."

"Your world is significantly different from ours," Optimus Prime noted in English, finally speaking after Jazz had sent the information. "The data you sent me, Jazz, is quite interesting. Not only is the planet diverse with life, but the inhabitants are, as well." He turned his attention to the two humans, who were looking over at the Autobot leader in awe. "My name is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. I apologize if my previous reaction to your presence startled you in any way."

"Don't worry about it, big guy," Morgen responded carelessly. "We were just as surprised when we first saw Jazz."

Wildfire noted that Sparkseer seemed amused, while Coil still remained curious. Shape-Change, even though she wasn't anywhere near the room, was amused as well, but likely for a different reason.

"How did you get here?" Optimus asked, giving the four humans a curious look. "We would have heard of a spaceship landing -- such a thing has not occurred for many Giga-Cycles."

"We didn't come here by a spaceship," Morgen responded, shaking his head. "We were just...watching something on our television --"

"Television?" Ratchet repeated.

"Basically, it's a screen that we can watch stuff on."

"You mean like these monitors." Optimus motioned to the monitors that surrounded the desk.

Morgen nodded. "Something like that."

"Anyway, the screen suddenly went white right in the middle of what we were watching, and it turned into some sort of...I dunno, a whirlpool," Katie continued. "We were sucked in, and the next thing we knew, Jazz and another robot were looking down at us."

Jazz suddenly let out a growl. "Remember what I toldja about sayin' dat, Katie?"

"Sorry, but I'm not exactly sure how you guys differentiate between male and female in your kind," the human responded.

"I believe you are looking for the terms 'mech' and 'femme'," Ratchet noted. He frowned slightly. "What is it that you have against that word, Jazz?"

" 'Robot' refers to what we humans see as bits of machinery that we could use and order around," Morgen explained. "I explained that to Jazz when he first heard it and he said he didn't want to hear it again because it reminded him too much of the problem that set off the war in the first place."

The room fell into silence upon hearing this.

"Then we will not speak of it again," Optimus Prime finally stated grimly.

"I'll agree to that," Katie responded. She looked around. "I heard Wildfire say this place was called the Hall of Records."

Optimus' optics sparked with recognition and delight; the warrior femme wondered what it might have been that caused this. "Yes; I used to work here."

Katie looked up at the Autobot leader in surprise. "Truly? I didn't think that--"

"A data clerk would find himself leading Cybertron?" A slight smile came across the mech's face. "I did not believe it at first myself, when I was told that I was to be the next Prime. However, I have come to accept it."

"Wow." Morgen gave Optimus a smirk. "So 'Prime' is a title, then?"

"Correct. Before, I was known as Orion Pax."

The two taller humans looked at each other, surprise clear on their faces.

Sparkseer raised an optic ridge. "What is it that you have on your processors?"

Morgen looked over at the blue mech. "If we were to go by anything of Earth culture, your old name has a couple meanings." He started to walk around on the desk, a thoughtful expression on his face as he placed his left arm behind his back while he moved his right servo up to his chin. "See, there are a few languages on our planet that are no longer used because the people who had used them ended up dying out. One of the languages is referred to as Latin." He stopped pacing and looked back up at the Autobots present -- Optimus Prime, specifically. "In that language, the word 'pax' means peace -- as in, the 'Pax Romana,' or 'Roman Peace,' which was a time in ancient history when there wasn't any war in one particular empire created by humans."

"And Orion was the name of a legendary hero who had a constellation of stars named and created in his honor," Katie added.

"You two...." Wildfire looked between the two with a curious expression, her processor moving at near-high speed. "Are you into history as much as our local librarian is?" She sent a sidelong glance at Optimus, who appeared eager to speak with humans who might know so much about their own history.

"It's a hobby," Katie responded with a shrug. "I usually end up drawing what I see. Morgen is more into history than I am."

"Not true!" Morgen responded. "You and I race for the nearest museum if we hear about a new exhibit!" He chuckled at some sort of memory. "You sketch, I write -- the perfect combination."

"I really like reading what Mom and Dad do," Maria murmured, giving a slight smile.

"Intriguing," Optimus noted. "I wonder what has occurred on your own planet."

"Before we get ta dat," Jazz interjected, "Morgen suggested dat we use deir language as a secret code fer transmissions, so Soundwave can't get da jump on us. Dey wouldn't be able ta break it so quickly, and we'd be able to get da jump on dem once in a while."

Ratchet blinked in surprised. "This...human language? A secret code?"

"You didn't know what I was saying until Jazz sent you the data file," Sparkseer pointed out. "It could be of some use to us."

"What do you think, Optimus?" Wildfire asked, turning to face the Autobot. She sensed that Coil was starting to be annoyed at being ignored for so long, but the warrior femme was certain he could wait a little longer before she had to return her attention to him.

"It could work," Optimus finally stated. "However, how can we be certain that Soundwave will not attempt anything to hack into our systems and discover it?"

"Hey -- Alpha Trion didn't upgrade security fer nothin'," Jazz pointed out. "Trust me, he won't be able ta get in."

"He may not be able to get in _now,_ but the mech is resourceful." Shape-Change materialized in the center of the group, causing the humans to jump in surprise while Coil let out a delighted gurgle and reached out for the shifter, who obligingly took the sparkling from Wildfire and placed him on her own hip. "Soundwave is not Megatron's Communications officer for nothing." She nodded in the direction of the four humans. "Morgen. Katie. Maria. Matthew."

It took a moment for Wildfire to register that the shifter had been speaking in English.

"Hey, Shape-Change," Morgen responded, giving the shifter a nod. "Have you found anything out about what might have brought us here yet?"

"That is a negatory." Shape-Change looked down at Coil and gave him a smile. "I have had other duties get in the way because they are of greater importance as to the war. So long as you stay out of sight, you will not be harmed in any way."

"What is it this time, Shape-Change?" Optimus asked, a serious expression on his face.

The shifter's gaze moved to the Autobot leader. "It seems there is something of great importance on Trypticon Station, and Megatron is intent on getting Starscream to tell him what it is. I'm getting the feeling that it is some sort of...secret weapon."

"A secret weapon?" Ratchet frowned. "Has Shockwave been doing something that we are not aware of?"

"Shockwave has been placed over two cities that have been in civil war for Giga-Cycles -- Tarn and Vos. It seems that Megatron had plans for Starscream that reach beyond discovering what it is that is located on Trypticon Station."

"What's Tryp-ti-con Station?" Maria piped up, cocking her head slightly out of curiosity.

"An orbiting, Cybertronian-made satellite that was meant to hold something," Optimus rumbled. "Megatron had requested that I look into it before the war began, before I was named Prime. All I discovered was that the station was given some sort of level of sentience as a means to protect what it was that lay within it. Whatever it may be, Alpha Trion mentioned that it was not meant to be used by any Cybertronian."

"So, this Starscream could be prepping this...whatever it is, in order to use it against you?" Morgen asked, frowning.

"Or, he could be planning on using it against Megatron," Ratchet responded. "The Air Commander was known to be the last mech to have seen Sentinel Prime, the Prime previous to Optimus, before he had been kidnapped by Decepticon forces. It is possible that he is working covertly on our side."

"But it's also possible that he's working covertly for Megatron," Wildfire responded grimly.

"You've mentioned that name a few times already," Katie stated. "Who's Megatron?"

"The leader of the Decepticons," Sparkseer stated, a grim expression on his face. "A former gladiator."

"Gladiator?" Morgen sent the blue mech a look of surprise. "You _still_ have gladiators on this planet?"

"Arena combat began as an outlet not too long ago by Cybertronian standards," Optimus Prime stated. "It was meant as an outlet for the lifestyle we were forced to live with before the war."

The mech's servos clenched. "Before, when we came out of the Well of AllSparks, we were told our position in society, and not allowed to leave from it until we were offlined and sent to the scrapheap. Megatron -- then known as Megatronus, a name he had taken from one of the Thirteen original Primes -- decided that something must be done, that all Cybertronians might live their own lives. As I was a simple data clerk then, I was curious by his speeches, and confronted him. We...became close friends." The Prime turned away his gaze and shook his helm. "Or so I had thought."

Optimus looked back at the four humans. "When Alpha Trion had managed to secure for us an audience with the High Council, we both presented our arguments for why the castes should not be allowed to continue. Megatron was angered that I was chosen to be Prime, and decided that I was no longer a friend, but an enemy. He had been orchestrating attacks on different hubs when my back was turned, and blaming them on others when I had become curious. His actions in the Council Chamber convinced me that he was a danger to Cybertron -- as a gladiator, he is more intent on fighting than talking, and therefore would not allow us to continue forward with whatever freedoms he may have promised."

"Sounds like he might have been using you," Katie noted. "All you might have been to him was someone who was just another follower, eager to do what he wanted done."

"You would not believe how many times something like that has happened in human history," Morgen added. "Unfortunately, we are a race that prefers fighting to settle some conflicts. Families have been split more times than history has cared to count, and entire races of humans have been wiped out because of some sort of conflict -- be it with nature, or another race of man." He shook his helm -- head, Wildfire mentally corrected. "There are still some mysteries that not even we have been capable of solving about ourselves yet."

"So you know something of fighting, then," Wildfire noted.

The two taller humans looked up at Wildfire with blank expressions.

"We know something _of_ fighting," Morgen admitted.

"But we don't know much about doing it ourselves," Katie stated. "Most of our time was spent in libraries and museums reading and researching -- when we weren't doing our own jobs or going out for our own, separate vacations."

"Do you carry weapons hidden underneath your...armor?" Ratchet continued.

"Armor?" Morgen looked down at what he was wearing, stretching out the shirt he wore in order to get a better look at it. "This isn't armor, Ratchet. These are clothes -- what regular people wear every day for our kind." The human looked back up at the medic. "And if we want a weapon, we have to make it using materials that are available -- metals being what has been used the most often in our recent age of technology."

"You don't have weapons built into you since creation?" Ratchet blinked in surprise. "But...how do you defend yourself?"

"We use our wits and brains," Morgen responded, tapping the side of his head with a digit -- finger, Wildfire remembered. "Any material that is within arm's reach can be turned into a weapon if you figure out how to turn it into one. Humans have become masters at doing that -- there are even those among us who know how to split atoms in order to create massive explosions that have destroyed entire cities."

The entire room became silent at that.

"Split atoms?" Wildfire repeated. "That would take a lot of energy, wouldn't it?"

"Well, scientists during World War II managed to figure out a way to get a lot of it," Katie responded, placing her hands on her hips. "The aftermath wasn't pretty -- nuclear power is definitely not something I would ever want to mess with. Or recommend that anyone ever mess with it."

"I do not believe that we will need to come to that," Optimus stated, noting the concerned look on the human femme's face.

Wildfire was about to say something more when a wave of tiredness ran through the bond that connected her to Coil; she saw his optics waver.

"I think the sparkling needs to go to sleep," the ex-gladiator noted.

"It is getting to be late in the Solar-Cycle," Ratchet agreed. "We must all return to recharge before our recharge cycles are moved. I will take my leave." He turned and started out of the floor, heading back to the medbay -- and First Aid, Wildfire added as an afterthought.

Shape-Change nodded to Wildfire and Sparkseer. "I will be going, as well. It is my turn to watch over the sparkling for the end of the cycle." With that she shimmered out of existence, footsteps resounding a nanoklik later as the shifter walked out -- no doubt shifting the sparkling's position to a place that was not her hip to allow for more quick travel.

Sparkseer was next to leave, muttering something about Alpha Trion and not wanting to be late at the start of the next Cycle. This left Wildfire, Morgen, Katie, Maria, Matthew, Jazz, and Optimus standing around the Prime's desk in the Hall of Records.

"I'd better get dese four back ta my quarters," Jazz finally stated, moving over to stand closer to the desk. "I've got all dere stuff in dere."

Optimus gave a slight nod. "I would like to speak with them at the start of the next cycle, so that I may learn more of the planet they come from."

"What, Earth?" Morgen looked up as he, Katie, and the children climbed onto Jazz's servo. "We can tell you everything we know about the planet, but it probably won't be everything."

"That is fine." Optimus smiled slightly. "So long as my curiosity is somewhat satisfied."

"I still have a few questions myself," Jazz admitted. He gave Optimus and Wildfire a smirk in farewell, then started off of the floor in order to get back to his quarters so that both he and the humans could get a good recharge.

"Wildfire, it might be best if you got some recharge yourself," Optimus stated, giving the ex-gladiator a nod.

Wildfire jolted a little; she had been lost in thought concerning what had occurred between the humans and the Cybertronians. "Right." She started towards the stairwell that would lead her to her quarters, repurposed from a cultural investigator's office.

"Wildfire, is there something on your processor?" The warrior femme stopped upon hearing the questioning tone in Optimus Prime's voice.

Wildfire glanced back at the Prime for a moment. "It's just...these humans. It seems as though there may be more to them that is like us than is on the surface."

The Autobot leader blinked, considering the warrior femme's words. "That seems to be true," he admitted. "However, there is more that is different than alike, it seems. Our size being a good place to start."

Wildfire smirked before nodding. "Yeah. I wonder if all of these organics are the size of Mini-Cons." She turned and continued to walk out. "I'll see you later, Optimus. You ought to get some recharge yourself."

"I am more than aware, Wildfire."

The warrior femme paused at the stairwell before shaking her helm and continuing onward. She knew that the Autobot would be staying up later than recommended, wracking his processor for ways to counteract the Decepticons -- or even for questions to ask the humans.


	15. Chapter 15

**Extras (12): Humans**

_"All right, now onto the little organics who popped in on us out of nowhere...and their abilities to adapt._

_"The 'parent' humans, Morgen and Katie, explained a lot to us about their languages, and with their help, we developed a code that we could use to confuse the Cybertronians. And that was_ after _they'd met with the rest of the Autobots. I'm surprised they didn't faint from the number and size of us, but the kids were the ones who got the most attention as 'organic sparklings.'_

_"And then there was the knowledge of Earth that Jazz and everyone else was 'hounding' after, to use the human term. First Aid made sure that she knew everything she could about human body, but Ratchet held back for some reason in that department. He did, however, learn something about the human diseases, which weren't viruses, but they also were. That thought makes my helm spin._

_"Information isn't just a one-way street, however. The humans were just as curious as we were, and were quick to ask questions about our own world. Morgen explained that it was a part of their own 'transformation' -- an ability to adapt to a given situation. Soon, Morgen and Katie were able to help us as well as some of our senior officers, but their children were another matter._

_"I can't help but wonder if Matthew and Maria will ever reach the amount of knowledge that their parents have...."_

**Chapter 15**

"So that's Megatron?" Morgen asked, motioning to the holo vid in front of him and Katie.

The two humans, after asking Optimus Prime about it, had managed to secure a recording from a gladiator tournament long before the war, and were presently watching it with surprisingly stoic faces -- at least, on Morgen's part. Katie flinched and made looks of disgust whenever Megatron caused any sort of visible damage to his opponent -- or even hit them at all -- while her children shut their eyes and covered their ears. At least, until the recording was paused.

"That's him," Wildfire confirmed. "This was taken when he was referred to as Megatronus, though."

"That's the name of the...the Fallen, right?" Katie asked, looking up at the warrior femme. Lately, the human had taken to going through the more mythical parts of the historical archives -- after Jazz had managed to translate it into English. Already, the humans had a small library to themselves of Cybertron's history, and Katie had made it a point to go over "every inch of it," to quote Morgen.

"That is correct," Optimus rumbled. He had insisted on staying nearby, as they were watching the vid on a floor that used to house data clerks; the Prime had actually been the one to show the humans how to get the vids working. "He took the name because he saw himself as a mech who had the same standing by his belief as the original did."

"He's got an ego problem," Morgen noted. He placed his left hand at his chin -- a movement that meant he was clearly thinking. A frown passed over his face before his eyes brightened in a humored look.

"Why is he wearing a bucket on his head?" Maria suddenly asked quietly, peeking through her fingers. This brought looks of confusion and surprise from the others around her.

Matthew turned to glare at his sister. "He is not wearing a bucket! That's a helmet!"

"No, it's a bucket!"

"It's a helmet!"

"It's a bucket!"

"Helmet!"

"Bucket!"

"Helmet!"

"Quiet down, you two!" Katie barked, getting her children's attention.

"Sorry," Maria murmured, ducking her head.

Morgen, who had been frowning and glaring at the image on the monitor, turned his head to look at the trio. "You know, his helmet _does_ look like a bucket." He turned to look at Optimus and Wildfire.

"Does he still wear that?"

"He's had it for as far back as I can remember," Wildfire responded. "It is a part of his helm -- I doubt he could have ever removed it."

The two adult humans looked at each other for a moment, a grin passing over Morgen's face.

"I think I've got a code name for him," Morgen finally stated, looking up at Optimus Prime and Wildfire. "Buckethead."

"Buckethead?" Wildfire repeated, raising an optic ridge.

"Consider it an insult," Katie explained. "An insult to his head -- or helm." She shrugged. "If you want us to come up with something else, we probably could."

The warrior femme considered this for a moment. Most of the code names they had come up with already had some sort of origin in human insults -- all the better way to learn of things in Earthen culture, as Jazz had claimed in his own way of saying things. They'd managed to shorten Starscream to "Screamer," had Knock Out become "Narcissus," and there were plenty of others besides that made Wildfire lose her composure and chuckle a little. Buckethead was already starting to pull at her lipplates, and she knew that it was a keeper.

"That'll work," Wildfire stated. "Buckethead it is."

"Wildfire! Optimus Prime!"

The two Cybertronians turned as a red and white mech ran forward, a panicked expression on his face. Wildfire wondered for a nanoklik if Ratchet had gained a new voice, only to remember that this was a new Autobot in the ranks: a paranoid security officer named Red Alert.

The warrior femme found that it fit him, considering that every time something happened that set him off, Red Alert acted as though it was the worst possible thing to occur.

"What is it, Red Alert?" Optimus asked, turning to face the mech. "Did Sideswipe and Sunstreaker do something that upset you?"

"No, nothing like that -- but I'm certain they're planning something for me." Red Alert shuddered.

"Then what are you so worked up about?" Wildfire asked, frowning at his overreaction.

"I just got a message from a mech -- a registered Decepticon in our database." Red Alert was definitely flustered by this. "He said that he wanted help -- from you." The security officer turned to look at Wildfire directly.

Wildfire looked surprised, her optic ridges going up as her optics widened slightly. "A Con wants me to help them?" She shook her helm and smirked. "They're asking for a death wish, honestly."

"Who was it, Red Alert?" Optimus Prime asked. "You would not act this way if it were one of the mere soldiers."

"Oh, it's one of them but they're close to grunt level, from what I can tell," Red Alert stated quickly. "It's that Jolt character that Wildfire seems to dislike so much."

Wildfire stiffened upon hearing this. Jolt was asking for help -- from _her?_

"He is _definitely_ asking for a death wish," Wildfire voiced, a frown came over her face. "What would that Con want from me, seeing as Shape-Change and Sparkseer both said that I'd decided to turn my back on what Megatron stood for and go back to demolition duty?" She gave Red Alert a look that bordered on anger and annoyance.

Red Alert help up his servos in defense, a terrified look coming over his face. "Don't attack the messenger -- please! Jolt looked severely damaged in the video footage, and there were badly-made welds all over his limbs! It looked like he had been sent through a compactor and out back together by a bunch of opticless, idiotic Mini-Cons and a blowtorch!" The security officer was greatly concerned -- whether for his wellbeing or Jolt's, Wildfire wasn't exactly sure -- but she did not care.

"He's outside of the city, by the power station we partially converted into an outpost," Red Alert continued. "There's a medic there who has been attempting to leave the outpost in order to help him out, but Grimlock has been holding him back because he would rather see him offlined."

Wildfire's optics narrowed slightly. "I'd have to agree with that two-mechaton pile of scrap for once on this. Jolt was an idiot for having exposed himself to Shockwave's experiments, and now he is paying the price."

"You're just going to let him die?!" Katie demanded, her voice gaining a high-pitched frequency to go with her disbelief and fear. "Why? What did he ever do to you?"

" _Who's_ going to die?" Maria asked, suddenly fearful. She was quickly shushed by her father.

"He didn't pay any attention to anything that was happening around him well enough, and whatever warnings Shape-Change, Sparkseer, I or any others gave him went completely over his helm," Wildfire snapped in reply, sending a glare at Katie. "Jolt didn't even bother to hide his abilities from Shockwave at first, and that put him on his top priority list of mechs to experiment on." The warrior femme looked away at a nearby wall. "That mech is a lost cause."

"No, he is not."

Sparkseer stepped into view, catching the attention of the humans and Cybertronians. "He is still young, and as such, he has much to learn. This is one lesson that I doubt he will be forgetting anytime soon."

Optimus Prime turned to look at Red Alert. "Send a message to the Outpost; tell Grimlock to let Swoop go and do what he can for Jolt. We may be able to convince him to join our side and turn the tide somewhat in the war."

"And if we don't convince him?" Red Alert asked nervously, sending a glance in Wildfire's direction.

"There is a chance that Prowl may be able to gleam something from him," Optimus Prime responded in a grim tone.

Wildfire blinked at the mentioning of the police officer they had managed to gain a few cycles ago, during the battle that had decimated Praxis and sent its inhabitants to either the Autobot, Decepticon, or into hidey holes that they had refused to come out of ever since. There had been a few experienced soldiers besides Prowl who had joined their side, but only one had managed to get the warrior femme's attention -- as a sparring partner. Ironhide, a trainer Arcee had worked with many times before, was of great help when it came to keeping members of the Autobots on their toes.

Wildfire had a great amount of respect for Ironhide -- mainly because he had managed to severely damage Chromia with his rage-driven fighting style back in Praxis.

"Fair enough," Wildfire finally stated. "But, I want to talk to him first."

"I am coming, as well," Sparkseer stated. When Wildfire was about to protest this, the mech continued, "Considering where Jolt just came from, I don't want you to end up destroying our only possible lead into what Shockwave and Megatron might be planning -- especially concerning what is up in Trypticon Station."

"There you go with that again," Wildfire groaned. "It doesn't look like Screamer is going to be coming down with any sort of secret weapon anytime soon. Honestly, it's like he's planning on staying up there until the war's done and he's the only mech left standing."

"What makes you think he'll do that?" Morgen asked, raising an eyebrow. "From what we've heard, he was pretty interested in joining up with Megatron's troop around the time that Sentinel Prime disappeared."

"He could be planning something up there, and this Sparky guy might know," Katie agreed. "You should go and check him out -- and see about getting up to Trypticon while you're at it."

"The only way that is ever going to occur is if we manage to gain more of an advantage in the air," Optimus Prime noted. "While we may have some members of the Seekers from Vos, it is still not enough, as many of them now make up the bulk of Megatron's army."

"There's always a way," Katie responded resolutely. "That's what humans have learned over the years. Whenever an obstacle blocks the way, either find a way around it or a way to remove it. Easy."

"It may be easy for you, but it will not be easy for us," Red Alert responded. He had downloaded the file from Jazz that allowed him to know of the English language, but he refused to speak it, claiming that he was only going to use it when he felt it safe to do so -- he didn't want to accidentally say any sort of sentence aloud that was one thing in English but was something else in Cybertronian. The humans had insisted that wasn't going to be a problem, as all they heard were beeps on different frequencies and the whirring of gears, but he still used his native tongue and refused to change to the other except in certain circumstances -- like now. "Starscream and the other Seekers will look for every single opening and seal it before we get a chance to take advantage of it."

"They can still overlook something," Morgen responded. He made a waving motion with one hand, as if to say that the group should get moving. "You said you wanted to talk to Jolt about Con schemes, right? You should probably get going before this Grimlock guy decides to have the medic tear him apart rather than out him back together."

Maria and Matthew exchanged terrified looks upon hearing this, and they hugged their mother close, terrified should they ever run into this 'Grimlock' character.

Sparkseer nodded in agreement, sending a concerned glance in the children's direction. "Yes; it would most likely be better if we moved." He looked over at Wildfire before walking out of the room.

"I'd better make sure you two have clearance for this," Red Alert muttered to himself. He then started off in the direction Sparkseer had gone. "Come on, Wildfire -- you're going to need it in case you want to see Jolt."

Wildfire let out a sigh and rolled her optics. "Calm down, Red. You don't need to worry so much about that sort of thing."

"Worrying is a part of my job!" Red Alert looked back at her. "I'm supposed to be on my toes every single cycle keeping an eye on everything!"

"Paranoid much?" Morgen muttered. Red Alert didn't hear, but Wildfire did. A smirk was on her face as she strode out of the room, following the jumpy security officer.

**Time Break**

Red Alert had gotten Wildfire and Sparkseer the clearance passes -- which the two promptly put in their subspace compartments. The two knew that the passes were simply a formality -- the two former gladiators were able to do what they wished and when, even go to the outpost without any trouble. Red Alert was simply relying on older habits that he had yet to drop -- from when he worked as a security officer for one of the more wealthy members of the higher castes, he issued passes so that those invited could have one-time access to the Cybertronian's home for the parties that the mech would hold at regular intervals during the Orbital-Cycles.

Morgen and Katie had referred to him as a "behind-the-scenes geek bouncer," which made no sense whatsoever to most of the Autobots -- only Jazz seemed to know what they were talking about, and he insisted that Red Alert was nowhere near that.

"You have much on your processor," Sparkseer noted as they drove through the city. When Wildfire's alt form jumped upon hearing the mech's voice, he explained, "Annoyance and anger have been coming out of your Spark in waves. It is hard not to ignore emotions potent enough to almost knock me off my wheels. What is it that is on your processor?"

Wildfire wanted to turn away from the mech who was driving next to her, but if she had, she would have driven off the road and into the crowd of Cybertronians walking leisurely. "I have a lot on my processor," she finally stated carefully, not wanting to say anything more.

The warrior femme had been considering what Red Alert had said about Jolt's condition, and she was wondering what sort of experiments Shockwave might have done to him in order to get Jolt to be in that bad of a condition.

Coil was also on her processor -- it was hard for him to not be, considering the bond that was resolutely anchored there. The sparkling, if he ever came into contact with Jolt, could have some sort of memory of the mech that was buried, and it could produce a negative effect on the yellow mech. Already, the three had managed to get Coil to speak a few words of Cybertronian and English, but the sparkling had yet to get to any sort of fluent level of understanding of either language that the other Autobots had. At least they were making progress with him.

"If you tell me, I might be able to alleviate some of it," Sparkseer pressed.

Wildfire could sense that he was only trying to help, but the warrior femme didn't exactly _want_ the help he offered.

"I'm fine," Wildfire responded resolutely.

Sparkseer took note of her annoyance and didn't press. They drove the rest of the way to the outpost in silence.

When they reached the outpost, the two rolled in past the guards at the entrance without even bothering to flash the passes at the pair that stood there -- the two were newbies, not even allowed outside of Iacon because of their experience, and they recognized the pair of former gladiators by their paint jobs and waved the pair in without bothering to doublecheck that they were actually Wildfire and Sparkseer.

When Grimlock would get wind of that -- whenever that may be -- he was definitely going to give them a hard time, then send them to Ironhide for some vigorous training that would cause the two guards to regret it. Even if Wildfire and Sparkseer didn't prefer to use the passes, the guards would have had to have made sure that the pair weren't shifters, at least -- there had been rumor that there was at least one serving in Megatron's ranks.

When Wildfire and Sparkseer arrived inside the power plant, the two transformed into their bipedal forms, then walked over to where a temporary medbay had been erected in case of emergencies. One of the Lightning Strike Coalition members -- Swoop -- had some medical training, but he was more used to fighting. First Aid had made sure that he knew as much as possible, but there was a lot that he had to learn yet, and there wasn't much they could do when there was a war going on.

In fact, before the war, Swoop and a few over members of his group had been gladiators. Swoop had gained his name because, as a flier, he preferred to swoop down from the sky and attack his enemy in repeated dives.

Sparkseer slipped into the medbay ahead of Wildfire, sending her a look as he passed. The warrior femme could pick up from the bond that he was worried that she might end up attacking Jolt before actually talking to him. She made sure that her annoyance at his worry was conveyed back at him.

Swoop looked up from Jolt's unconscious form as the two gladiators slipped inside; he was busy rewelding the tears in the blue mech's metal form, which were clearly badly done -- whether on purpose or accidental, Wildfire wasn't sure.

"Hey," the mech stated, giving the two a nod. He looked back down at his work, the wings on his arms moving as he adjusted his grip on the blowtorch and went back to welding. "The Con's not going to be up for a while yet -- the mech was in stasis when I finally got to him."

Wildfire sensed concern and worry from Sparkseer, and she shot him a look, raising an optic ridge. Concern for a Con?

"What do you think did this?" Sparkseer asked, motioning to the damage on Jolt's form with the servo that wasn't holding onto his spear.

"I dunno. There's a lot of incisions everywhere -- and they're all pretty clean, like they were done on purpose. It's the welds that are messy." Swoop moved from one sealed weld to the next broken one. "It looks like someone used him as a practice dummy for medical training."

"Medical --" Wildfire's optics narrowed. "It sounds like that Breakdown character that First Aid had told me about was in need of some practice."

"Breakdown?" Swoop repeated. A confused look came over his face as he looked up.

"A Con who's an assistant for their main medic, Knock Out," the warrior femme explained bluntly. "From what I've heard, he's an ex-construction worker that one of the Wreckers used to know."

"Oh." Swoop nodded. "That makes sense." He looked back down at his work. "Say, guys, if you could just wait outside for a breem or two, Jolt should probably be able to be talked to then."

"What do you want us to do until then?" Sparkseer inquired.

"Take a tour of the building; have a look around." Swoop looked up again with a serious expression. "Just don't get on Grimlock's nerves, all right? Something bad happened a couple of cycles ago, and it's really gotten to him."

"What do you mean by that?" Wildfire's optics narrowed.

Swoop looked around nervously, then stopped the blowtorch and leaned toward the two. "One of the LSC kinda got...kidnapped by the Cons."

The two former gladiators exchanged glances, considering what the medic had just said.

"How did it happen?" Wildfire asked, a frown appearing on her face.

Swoop definitely looked nervous, now. "We were doing some patrols, looking out for some Cons that might need to have a prescription for tailpipe-kicking. I was going around off-road, like usual, when some sniper fired a shot at Snarl, who had been patrolling on the ground somewhere ahead of us to make sure there weren't any of those Seekers coming our way -- he's got pretty good optics. As soon as he fell, the Cons swarmed him. Grimlock and the rest of us weren't able to get to him in time." Swoop bit his lower lipplate. "We think he got taken to Shockwave."

Wildfire's optics widened upon hearing this. "What would Shockwave want with him? He's got more than enough Cons to mess with."

"Megatron might have forbidden him from doing anything to his troops without his permission," Sparkseer noted. "Autobot prisoners must be fair game for him."

Swoop's optics widened. "I desperately hope that Snarl isn't turned into some sort of monster like that Devastator guy."

"Me, too."

The group turned to see a tall, hulking figure standing in the doorway, a red visor over his face, a grim expression showing there.

"Grimlock," Wildfire greeted, giving the mech a nod. "It's good to see you."

"Likewise," Grimlock replied. "I hope the Autobots haven't made you go soft from sitting around in the Hall of Records."

"The Praxian Ironhide gets just as antsy as I do -- he serves as a decent sparring partner when the others aren't available."

"You know our leader?" Swoop asked, blinking in surprise.

"I fought him a couple times in the arena," Wildfire responded, looking back at the medic and giving a shrug.

"And you lost every time." Grimlock's voice came out in a growl, like it had ever since he had first started to bring the smoke from the industrial castes in to cool off his systems. The mech had refused to have his vocoder replaced, as he thought this way, he sounded much more intimidating. There was also some borderline anger there, more likely than not from the loss of Snarl.

"Did you come here to have a look at the squirt?" Grimlock motioned to the unconscious Jolt, who Swoop had gone back to work on quickly when he had appeared.

Wildfire silently noted that the hulking mech had started to adjust to some of the English lingo, as the other Autobots had. She nodded slightly to answer his question. "Sparkseer here thinks we can convince him to join our side." The warrior femme snorted. "It doesn't seem possible to me."

"Or me." Grimlock stepped into the medbay -- which wasn't as big as the one in the Hall of Records, and quickly started to become cramped when the large mech stepped in. "What use would we have of a squirt like this when he's already proved that he's a Decepticon?"

"I believe that there is something in his way of thinking that has changed, Grimlock," Sparkseer stated, inclining his helm slightly as he looked up at the leader of the LSC. "There is a possibility that he will join us and provide us with information we can use to turn the tide in this war and defeat the Decepticons."

"And if he doesn't join?" Grimlock inquired, there was an eager gruffness in his voice that Wildfire couldn't help but pick up on herself

"Optimus Prime plans on turning him over to Prowl--"

Grimlock let out a growl and slammed a fist into the wall, causing the group to jump from the loud noise. "Prowl? Prowl probably won't get anything of use. I say let me at him and we'll see how much he screams."

"We want the prisoner _alive_ in order to receive information from him," Sparkseer chided. "Screaming and torture is not the Autobot way."

Grimlock let out a growl and removed his fist from the wall, leaving a dent where his fist had been. "He's a Decepticon. He deserves to be dead!"

Sparkseer's optics narrowed. "You regret to remember that you nearly became a Decepticon yourself, Grimlock. The only reason you joined this side was because Megatron was restricting your movements. At least out here, Optimus Prime isn't breathing down your neck every single cycle and telling you what to do every other klik!"

Wildfire blinked in surprise. She hadn't heard Sparkseer ever become this annoyed or angered before during the time that she had known him. Obviously, something in him was changing -- be it because of all the time they were spending it the Autobots or otherwise.

She wondered if him spending all that time around Arcee was causing it.

Grimlock appeared slightly surprised by Sparkseer's outburst, and it took him a moment to respond to this.

"Sure, we get some freedom out here, but he won't let us go out there and blast the Cons back to the AllSpark!" Grimlock growled, glaring at Sparkseer. "If we got to do that once in a while, I'd be happy with that. But as it is, there's still the problem concerning Swoop."

"And that is?" Wildfire asked.

Grimlock turned to face her. "I know you can keep this from Optimus, at least." Sending a glare in Sparkseer's direction, the mech continued, "I'm planning on going after Shockwave to rescue Snarl. Optimus Prime isn't going to let us go just to rescue him."

"You _would_ be going right into the heart of Decepticon territory," Wildfire noted, nodding slightly. "And you're among his more powerful Bots, counting me and Sparkseer here."

"But you actually got to leave when you came back with that sparkling we've been hearing so much about," Swoop pointed out, not bothering to look up from the last weld he was working on. "We haven't left this outpost since we were stationed here."

Grimlock nodded in agreement. "Shockwave has holed himself up in the remains of Crystal City, since Vos and Tarn destroyed each other. He's been doing stuff there, and Snarl's become a part of that, whether we like it or not." He made a fist with his right servo and slammed it into the open palm of his left. "We're going to rescue him before Shockwave can do anything worse to him than he already has."

"If you're going to do that, then you're going to need to leave someone behind -- one of your own -- to look after the outpost," Sparkseer noted.

"No; we're all going. Snarl is one of us, and Crystal City's going to be crawling with who knows what since you were last there. I'm going to need everyone in the Lightning Strike Coalition Force if we're going to pull this off." Grimlock definitely sounded determined, as his angered tone was slowly growing with every word he spoke. "The outpost will be fine; the Cons haven't been attacking it lately. There's no way Iacon is going to be in danger at this point. We can go, get Snarl, and come back. Easy."

"There! Done." Swoop stepped back from Jolt's prone form as he turned off the blowtorch. "All the welds have been fixed. All we gotta do now is pump him full of Energon, and he should be able to wake up and start telling us what we need to know."

"Do it," Grimlock growled.

This instantly sent Swoop running around his area of the medbay, trying to hunt down a cable and the Energon dispenser that should attach to it.

"You have no need for that," Sparkseer stated, causing Swoop to pause as he lifted his left servo. The blue mech placed his servo on Jolt's chest and closed his optics, seemingly in a concentrating manner.

Almost instantly, Wildfire's optics widened as an energy surge started to build up in Sparkseer's arm, moving seemingly from his Spark and over to where his servo had been placed on Jolt's chest. The energy branched out from there, and was absorbed into the other mech.

Sparkseer remained in that position for about a klik before pulling away, stopping the floor of energy. His cooling fans were kicking in, preventing him from overheating at the transfer of energy. "That should do it," he stated, taking in deep breaths.

"What should do it?" Swoop asked, giving Sparkseer a suspicious look. "What did you just do?"

"It's called an energy transfer," Sparkseer stated. "I simply gave some of my own reserves to Jolt in order to bring him out of stasis."

"Since when could you do that?" Wildfire asked, frowning. "You didn't do that anytime before, when we were in Kaon."

Sparkseer looked away for a moment, a slight smile appearing on his face. "It seems that Alpha Trion knows much of what my kind can do," he murmured.

Grimlock gave the mech a curious look and was about to respond to this when Jolt suddenly groaned as his systems came online. He started to sit up, causing Swoop to drop the cable he had been holding and come over to the wounded mech's side.

"Take it easy," Swoop warned. "That energy transfer probably didn't fill your tank all the way, and you've got a lot of recovery time ahead of you, believe me."

Jolt shook his helm before opening his optics fully and taking a look around. Upon seeing where he was -- and who was in the room with him -- his optics widened.

"This is the power station I used to work at," he noted softly. He looked over at Swoop. "You repurposed it?"

Swoop opened his mostly to answer, but Grimlock snapped, "Don't answer that!" The hulking mech took a step closer to the berth, towering over Jolt. "You are going to answer our questions."

Jolt looked up at Grimlock with a slightly nervous expression, surprise mixing with it -- no doubt at the fact that a Cybertronian could actually get to be that big.

"Do you understand, or am I going to have to speak in another language?" Grimlock growled, leaning forward and forming his right servo into a fist.

"No, no -- I get what you're saying," Jolt stated quickly, holding his servos up in defense. He then winced, and gripped his left shoulder, glaring at it murderously as he tried to flex it.

Swoop took note of this instantly and came around in order to get a better look at it. "Looks like the joint isn't working properly," he noted. He stuck a couple digits through a small hole in the armor, producing a yelp of pain from Jolt. "Yup. It's dislocated. We're going to need First Aid or Ratchet to get a proper look at that."

"No; not yet." Wildfire stepped forward to stand at Grimlock's right, glaring at Jolt. "What were you doing out here in that state and asking for help from us, Jolt?" Her optics were narrow as she glared at the bandaged mech. "There had better not be a trap that you're going to lead us into."

Jolt looked at the warrior femme with surprise upon hearing this. "Trap?" He shook his helm slowly. "There is no trap." The mech also spoke slowly, as if he was unsure about something. "At least, nothing that I'm aware of...." His face contorted into a glare. "Which happens to me all the time!"

Wildfire raised an optic ridge upon hearing the mech's raised voice at the end of his exclamation. "Kept in the dark, huh?"

Jolt nodded slightly, then looked around the room again for a moment before returning his gaze to Wildfire, turning his helm and being careful not to move his left arm. "I have been used as a punching bag, a medical dummy, and a science project. No one respects me."

"You had better be telling the truth or--"

"Grimlock, calm yourself," Sparkseer interrupted. He walked over to the Autobot's right and looked at Jolt from where the wounded mech's feet sat on the end of the table. "I sense no fluctuations in his Spark; Jolt is telling the truth."

Grimlock sent Sparkseer a glare, and was about to retort when the spear-toting mech continued, "I am in Optimus Prime's inner circle. I hate to pull rank on you, Grimlock, but...."

"I get it," Grimlock growled. He backed up a step. "But that doesn't mean that I like it."

Sparkseer nodded slightly in acknowledgement, then returned his gaze to Jolt. "How did you get here? It had to be hard traveling in your condition."

"You have no idea." Jolt reached over with his right servo and started to rub his left shoulder. "I had to run from Crystal Ruins, looking out for patrols and possible ambushes from both sides."

Wildfire noted that Jolt sounded exhausted, as well as a little bit smarter than he had the last time she had seen him. At least that was some consolation: he had learned something.

"Why were you in Crystal City?" Sparkseer continued, using the location's original name. Wildfire could see that his optics were glowing softly, which meant that he was definitely using his ability to look at their Sparks -- Jolt's, mostly, but everyone else's by extent.

Jolt shuddered at the mentioning of the location, then flinched again when his shoulder joint reacted. "I'd prefer it if you didn't call it that. As for why I was there...." He let out a blast of air through his clenched denta. "Shockwave wanted to get a better idea about my ability."

Wildfire's optics narrowed into slits upon hearing this. " _That_ is why I never went a mechanometer near that Con," she growled. "He is going to look for _any_ sort of opening to turn you into a scientist experiment. What happened with Coil proves that."

Jolt looked at Wildfire sharply, a surprised and angered look on his face. "What?"

Wildfire's optics widened upon realizing what she had just said. Sparkseer shot her a look.

"That doesn't matter now," Sparkseer stated, returning his gaze to Jolt.

"No, it does." Jolt leaned forward a little, seemingly trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder. "You found the experiment Shockwave tore from my Spark, didn't you? The one that he was enraged about losing?" A delighted look came over Jolt's face. "I _thought_ one of you guys had found it! Who was it? You? Sparkseer?"

"Shape-Change discovered the sparkling," Sparkseer stated calmly. "He is fine; you need not worry about him."

Jolt looked at the mech in surprise, then a smirk came across his face. "Right; sees other Cybertronian's Sparks." He chuckled, then let out a groan as he gripped his shoulder, which had been bouncing with his laughter.

Swoop gave the shoulder another look. "We should get him moved into Iacon proper," he stated, looking at Grimlock. "It'll probably be better if you ask him anything else _after_ his shoulder is properly repaired."

"Can you do anything for it?" Wildfire asked, looking over at Snarl.

"I can do something to help to keep it still, but I can't do anything that might be able to put it back in place," the mech responded. "Not without taking off some of this armor, and it doesn't look like anything I've worked with before."

"Yeah...I wasn't thinking about that when I added the armor myself," Jolt stated, a sheepish expression coming over his face.

Wildfire noted that he was definitely more subdued than he had been before. Obviously, Shockwave had done enough to him that Jolt had to have a personal change somewhere along the way.

"We're going to take him to the Hall or Records," Sparkseer stated, his optics fading back to their normal shade of blue. "Ratchet and First Aid will know how to take care of that problem."

Grimlock let out a growl. "You two may be in the Prime's inner circle, but this is _my_ outpost station. I don't want this Con taken out of this place; I want one of _your_ medics to come here and patch him up so that we can use him in a prisoner exchange: Snarl for him."

Jolt's optics widened as soon as he had heard this. "P-prisoner exchange?" He started to shake his helm, increasing the speed of its movement. "No, no, no, no. I don't want to go back."

"And I don't think Snarl wants to stay there," Grimlock retorted. "It's either you go back and Snarl comes here, or we're going to hunt him down and kill whatever Decepticons stand in our way."

"Do it." Jolt glared at Grimlock. "Any trust I might have had in them was lost when Megatron said Shockwave could have at me."

Grimlock straightened, while Swoop looked at Jolt in surprise; obviously, neither had really expected the mech to say something like that.

The larger, more hulking mech grinned in an eager manner. "With pleasure, kid." He nodded to Swoop. "Make sure he doesn't have any tracking devices on him. Then we'll let the Inner Circle take him to the Hall of Records." With that, Grimlock turned and walked out of the medbay without another word, the grin still plastered on his face.

"It's not too often that a Cybertronian manages to gain Grimlock's favor," Swoop noted, looking over at Jolt with admiration on his face. "It took me a few Oribtal-Cycles before he let me into the LSC."

"LSC?" Jolt repeated, frowning in confusion as Swoop started to look over his armor.

"Lightning Strike Coalition," the medic replied. He took note of the look that came over Jolt's face. "Yeah, I thought that, too. But that's Grimlock for you."

"Wow." Jolt flinched a little as Swoop's servos felt around his trunk and the newly-made welds. "Ow."

"Sorry." Swoop looked over at Sparkseer. "Do you think you can pick up any unusual signals that could be interfering with his Spark signal?"

The spear-toting mech cocked his helm slightly, considering the medic's words while his optics flickered a little. "I sense...something...." Sparkseer frowned, his optics narrowing. "Check his neck cables. There's an odd disturbance in the back."

Swoop nodded, then moved around behind Jolt, who stayed still while the medic inspected his neck cables, carefully poking around.

"Found it!" Swoop declared, removing a small blinking device that had been wrapped around one of the cables. "This looks like something that definitely shouldn't be there." He crushed the device in his servo. "Is there anything else you want me to look for?"

Sparkseer shook his helm. "No. That was it."

"Okay; good." Swoop came around to get into Jolt's line of vision. "You should be good to go, now. We've got a trailer Sparkseer can use to drag you back into Iacon. We can hook him up to it up now and help you out so that we can get you back as soon as possible."

"Sounds good," Jolt responded. He looked a little nervous, considering that he was putting his life in an unfamiliar mech's servos, but he looked like he was starting to trust Swoop. "I'm probably going to need a little bit of help getting to the trailer, though."

"Don't worry about it," Sparkseer responded. "Swoop, if you could prepare the trailer, we will meet you there."

Swoop nodded, then turned and slipped out of the medbay, leaving Wildfire and Sparkseer alone with the wounded blue mech.

Sparkseer walked around to stand at Jolt's right side, then motioned for Jolt to try and slip off the berth, holding out an arm for Jolt to use as a support. "Come. We should get you back as soon as possible for Ratchet to set that."

"He's an Iacon medic who's assisting First Aid, isn't he?" Jolt asked as he moved, swinging his legs over the edge of the berth. He dropped down with a grunt, then leaned against Sparkseer, his left arm hanging limply.

"The two assist each other." Sparkseer corrected. "They work well together."

Jolt gave Sparkseer a curious look as the two started to move, but then smirked a little. "Are they planning on --"

"Bonding? Their Sparks are in perfect harmony for it." Sparkseer looked over at Wildfire, who had remained where she had been standing when Grimlock had slipped out. "Are you coming, Wildfire?"

The warrior femme remained still for a moment before nodding slightly and following the two out of the room.

**Time Break**

Jolt gritted his teeth and let out a slightly muted scream as First Aid moved his shoulder joint back into place, his grip on Ratchet's servo tightening as the pain flared up.

Ratchet let out a yelp. "That's quite the grip!"

Jolt let out a groan as First Aid released his left arm, rotating it a little as he released Ratchet's servo. "Sorry. It just...ow."

"Ow indeed," Optimus Prime noted as he and Jazz stepped in. "I could hear your yell from outside the medbay." He walked over to stand next to First Aid, who was looking over the sore shoulder one last time before nodding and moving on to have a look at the welds, which Ratchet was also looking over.

"I tried to keep it down, but...." Jolt let out a grunt as Ratchet pressed down on a weld. "I've had to live with Breakdown's welds for a few cycles, now. It'll be a relief to finally relax without having to worry about breaking a weld for once."

"You will still have to be careful," Ratchet warned. "Swoop did a decent job sealing off what he could but it will still take some time for those breaks to heal. Until then, you are going to be confined to the medbay until further notice."

"So long as I have someplace to sleep," Jolt muttered.

Optimus glanced over at Wildfire, who had been watching everything with a stoic look on his face. "What caused all of this damage to you? Surely you have not seen that much battle yet."

"Battle?" Jolt shook his helm. "I haven't been out fighting anybody except Barricade for spars, and I haven't been damaged by that. I got these," the mech motioned to his form as a dark look came over his face, "from Shockwave."

Silence reigned in the medbay for a nanoklik before Jazz's and Wildfire's optics narrowed.

"Shockwave really is as crazy as Wildfire said," Jazz noted, his accent becoming muted as the seriousness of the situation kicked in. "What'd he do to you?"

"He's been...." Jolt let out a grunt as First Aid placed his arm in a makeshift sling, the movement still hurting even after his shoulder had been out back in place. "He's been trying to figure out if my ability can be transferred to another Cybertronian."

"And every time he tore you apart, Breakdown would get to have at you to put you back together," Wildfire guessed grimly. When Jolt nodded, the warrior femme pressed, "What got you into that situation? Surely you're smart enough to know when to not overstep."

"I never got to interact with mechs or femmes beyond the few who would come to relieve me of my post in the power station," Jolt explained. "Whatever 'boundaries' there might have been were non-existent there."

"What was your assigned task?" Optimus Prime inquired, a slightly curious expression on his face. He was starting to learn to keep his emotions more in check, and it made him seem more experienced than he really was.

"I made sure the Energon flow from Kalis was constant. I could spend an entire cycle down in the darkness without feeling hampered or terrified in any way, as I could create small orbs of electricity to light the way." Jolt nodded in thanks to First Aid as she finished with the sling and stepped back. "Oftentimes, I would have to take a shift for someone else whenever something else came up. Many an Orbital-Cycle has passed that I have spent more time underground than above it."

"Which explains why you said you didn't have much access to vids," Wildfire noted. "There weren't any monitors to be spoken of down there, were there?"

"They would have distracted me from my work -- of course there weren't any down there." Jolt let out a sigh. "It left me out of the loop more times than I care to count, however."

"Did you hear anything from Shockwave concerning what he had been doing to other Cybertronians?" Optimus Prime asked. "Prisoners in war? Wounded gladiators?"

"You would not believe how much he'd been able to do with just those two categories," Jolt explained grimly. "I was allowed to come and go between Breakdown's medbay and his lab, and every single cycle I passed by the holding cells he kept his experiments in. There were so many mechs that looked like they were going to fall apart in a nanoklik, and others that were retrained in case they managed to break out and destroy everything in sight. There was one group that Shockwave managed to program to be completely loyal to him." Jolt let out a shudder. "They used to be gladiators, and he had been planning on turning them into another combiner when he found some sort of transmission. Now, they're Insecticons."

Jazz shuddered. "Great. First sparklin's, now bugs. What's gonna be next?"

"What?" Jolt gave Jazz a curious look.

"Later," Wildfire stated. She leaned forward a little, placing her servos on the berth Jolt was lying on. "Did you hear about an Autobot coming in lately? A grounder named Snarl?"

Jolt gave Wildfire a curious look, then frowned as he tried to think back. "I remember him saying something about turning an Autobot into some sort of super-powerful creature from the same planet as the Insecticon idea, but he never said anything beyond that. Why?"

"A member of Grimlock's troop was taken a few cycles ago, and he's heard that Snarl is somewhere in Shockwave's lab." Wildfire's optics narrowed. "If you know anything about him, now would be the time to spill."

Jolt blinked in surprise before shaking his helm, an angered look coming over his face -- most likely, he was recalling what had been said back at Grimlock's outpost. "Shockwave kept me in the dark, just like all of his other experiments. Knock Out and Breakdown knew what was going on, and they'd snicker every time I'd come in for repairs. If any Autobots or gladiators came in, I would hear them screaming for mercy, but I never got to learn of their names. If any one of them was named Snarl, I'll never know."

Optimus Prime nodded grimly. "I had feared that it might come to this." He looked over at Wildfire. "I am aware that Grimlock plans to go after his comrade, but we still have need of him here."

"He thinks that being put in that outpost is a useless gesture," Wildfire responded. "If you let him go out and actually fight, he might listen to you more than he already does."

"He, like you, is a last resort."

"Try tellin' dat ta him," Jazz responded. "He wants ta be out dere crushin' Cons, not guardin' a city deep in Bot territory. I dink he'd rather be riskin' his Spark every other cycle."

"As a gladiator, that is a given," Wildfire stated, nodding.

"What kind of language is that?" Jolt asked, looking directly at Jazz. "I haven't heard anything like _that_ before."

Jazz looked at Jolt for a moment before laughing. "Oh, man! You dink my accent's another language? Dat's insane!"

Jolt looked even more confused upon hearing this.

"Perhaps it would be better if we don't tell the Decepticon anything else?" Ratchet asked, sending a glare at the Special Ops agent.

"I'm not tellin' him anythin'," Jazz responded moodily.

Wildfire rolled her optics as Jolt continued to look around at the Autobots present in confusion. "Jazz, get out. You're ruining the mood."

Jazz sent the gladiator a hurt look that was definitely fake. "Me? Ruin da mood?" A playful smirk came across his faceplate. "I _make_ da mood, not ruin it!"

Optimus looked like he desperately wanted to do what the humans called a "face palm," but he managed to restrain himself. Barely. Turning his attention to Jolt, he asked, "How did you manage to escape in your condition?"

"I'd been watching for an opening for a few Mega-Cycles," Jolt stated. "Every time I went between Shockwave's lab and the medbay, Barricade and his brother Blackout would escort me to make sure that I didn't get any ideas about escaping. There was torture on either end of the road, so they were always worried about me trying to slip out. I'd ended up trying a couple times, but I never got far -- Blackout had a blaster set to stun always on him, and Barricade knew all of my moves, so he could get around them without any problems. My opening ended up coming when Barricade was called out to help Megatron with something -- something about taking a shuttle somewhere. Blackout didn't tell me everything when he brought Lugnut with him instead.

"When we were leaving Breakdown's torture chamber, Lugnut decided to start talking. And I mean talking -- he had been given a bit of Shockwave's loyalty programming when it was geared for Megatron, and not only did it take his intelligence down a peg, but it made him quote _every single one of Megatron's speeches._ It made him so unusable that Megatron ended up using him as a substitute morale booster."

Jazz let out a whistle. "Man, dat's bad. How much of his memory is taken up by dose speeches, do ya tink?"

"Most of it," Jolt responded. He gave Jazz a curious look before shaking it off and continuing, "It was during one of his rants about Megatron that Blackout nearly lost it and threatened to stun him just to shut him up. That got the two into an argument, and I decided to start sneaking off. Blackout noticed it and told Lugnut to go after me. Then things got even more crazy." Jolt smirked. "Lugnut threatened to offline me since he didn't see any sort of use for me, and he planned on using a new weapon he had gained from Shockwave, as well. Blackout got in his way to stop him from doing that, as Shockwave would have probably ended up turning him into an experiment if he had lost me. The two got into another argument after Lugnut used what he called his 'Punch of Kill Everything' on Blackout. When the blaster fire started, I made a mad dash for it.

"By the time I had managed to get out of the Ruins, the blast of energy I had gained from wanting to get out had run out, so I started to take a slower pace by going off-road. I didn't want to transform since every movement was painful, so I wasn't able to get to the power station sooner than I did."

"And that was where Swoop found you," First Aid spoke, ending Jolt's story.

The mech nodded in agreement with the medic's statement. "And now I'm here."

There was a klik of silence in the medbay as Jolt's story settled into the processors of those present.

"Why did you come here, rather than join one of the many neutral groups that still live on Cybertron?" Optimus Prime finally asked. The question had been floating around in Wildfire's processor, as well, and she had been considering asking it when Optimus had spoken up.

"I knew that Wildfire had left Kaon and most likely come here, if what I overheard from Sparkseer and Shape-Change's conversations was any indication," Jolt stated. "I knew that something had happened here when Megatron had taken her along with him, and I figured it might be a good idea to follow her footsteps, so to speak."

"Why follow me?" Wildfire asked, raising an optic ridge.

Jolt looked directly at the warrior femme. "You're an experienced femme with stuff like this -- and I've figured that you know where to go if something big is about to happen."

"Greenie, I came here because I had asked OP over there to look something up for me, and I wanted to see if he had made any progress." An annoyed look came over Wildfire's face. "I didn't come to Iacon just to slip away from Kaon so that I could miss Shockwave turning me into his personal experimental pet." The warrior femme made a mental note to thank Katie and Morgen later for the new vocabulary, even if they had been translated from English and hardly any Decepticon or neutral would know about it. "I would have avoided Shockwave if I had stayed, anyway -- I've never trusted him."

"I guess I should have taken a q," Jolt responded.

"You should have."

"So, what are we going to do wit dis guy?" Jazz asked, motioning to the blue mech sitting on the berth as he looked at Optimus. "I mean, we aren't just going to keep him, are we?"

Optimus thought for a moment, sending a look over at Jolt while considering whatever options were floating around in his processor. "We will leave him confined to the medbay for now," the Autobot finally stated, switching to English so that Jolt wouldn't know what he was talking about. "If he can prove himself to be trustworthy to our cause, we will welcome him with open arms as an Autobot. If not, he will be placed in the brig until a suitable punishment will be thought of for him."

Jolt gave Optimus Prime a curious look. "What did you say?"

"Secret code, greenie," Wildfire responded with a smirk. "You're not meant to know." She suddenly felt a pang of emotion from over her bond with the others, and her optics narrowed slightly. "There's something I have to attend to." Without another word, the femme slipped out of the medbay, leaving Jolt to send her form a curious glance as she left.


	16. Chapter 16

**Extras (13): Code Names**

_"Considering that we were using an entirely new language as a code, Katie and Morgen insisted that we take it a step further and use code names -- for both us and the Cons. As you already read, you know that Megatron's 'Buckethead,' Knock Out's 'Narcissus,' and Starscream's 'Screamer'. Here's a quick look at some of the rest of them:_

_Shockwave -- Dr. Frankenstein_

_Barricade -- Roadblock_

_Black Out -- Schwartz_

_Lugnut -- Dumb Cyclops_

_Breakdown -- Thing_

_Soundwave -- Slenderman_

_Seekers -- Flying Monkeys_

_And the Bots:_

_Optimus -- Orion_

_Jazz -- Coolsvile_

_Sunstreaker -- Picasso_

_Ratchet -- Dr. Wrench (or just Doc)_

_Prowl -- Cop Bot_

_Ironhide -- Doberman (or Loose Cannon)_

_Bumblebee -- Wasp (Silent Stinger after Tyger Pax)_

_Ultra Magnus -- Thor_

_Aerialbots -- Air Force_

_Wildfire -- Inferno_

_Sparkseer -- Odin_

_Shape-Change -- Arsenal_

_Jolt -- Blitzen (after Optimus let him in as a warrior/medic-in-training)_

_First Aid -- Band-Aid_

_Bulkhead -- Tank_

_Alpha Trion -- the Archivist ****_

**Chapter 16**

_::Tank to Inferno! Tank to Inferno! Do you read? We've got a major problem!::_

"What is it, Wrecker?" Wildfire glanced over at where Jolt was playing with Coil and the humans; the group had started to become pretty tightknit over the past few cycles, and the blue mech always made it a point to ask as many questions of the adult humans as he possibly could. "Do you need someone to clean up again?"

_::It's not that -- Megatron's in Iacon, and we're going to need major--::_

"Buckethead is _where_?" Wildfire's surprised tone caused the six figures present to look over at her in surprise.

 _::In Iacon -- with a guard trailing him. We're going to need some help with those drugged goons::_ Bulkhead replied, using the code word the humans had coined for the Dark Energon users. :: _Optimus is already on his way::_

"Well, I'm coming to. Have you contacted the others?" Wildfire started to prepare to head for the door that led out of the medbay.

_::Shape-Change and Sparkseer were already out on patrol when he invaded. Get Jolt, too -- we're going to need all the help we can get! Tank out!::_

"What's going on?" Coil asked in English. "You're getting to be extremely panicked by whatever it is." The sparkling had, ever since Jolt's arrival and initiation as an Autobot, started to learn much more quickly about the human language. It had actually become a regular occurrence for one of the three bonded to him -- four, if one counted the bond he had forged with Jolt -- to try and teach him a few Cybertronian words, as the yellow mech didn't use it as his original language.

"Buckethead is inside the city limits," Wildfire replied grimly. "Jolt, you're with me -- Optimus and the Wreckers stationed here are already facing the threat."

"What -- now?" Jolt appeared surprised.

"Yes, now," the warrior femme snapped in reply. "Now, come on! We don't have much time!"

Jolt took note of the serious look on Wildfire's face, then slipped away from the berth that Coil and the two humans were on. "Ratchet, I'm heading out! Can you keep an eye on Coil and the humans while I'm gone?"

"Of course!" the medic called back from a hidden place in the medbay. "Just go! We'll be fine."

Jolt nodded and was about to say something that resembled a farewell when Wildfire grabbed his left arm -- now back in full working order -- and dragged him out of the medbay and towards the entrance of the Hall of Records. As the pair left the medical area, the sound of an explosion happened outside.

"What was that?" Jolt asked, looking worried.

"A missile, probably," Wildfire responded grimly. "If they're attacking the building we probably don't have much time. Come on!" She started to pick up her pace, Jolt not even having to strain himself in order to keep in stride with her.

"What do you think the Cons are doing in Iacon?" Jolt asked as they practically flew down the corridors.

"Megatron probably moved his plan for a final stand up sooner than he had originally projected it to be," Wildfire responded grimly. "The Dark Energon must be getting to him."

"But it doesn't last long," Jolt pointed out. "The power burns out quickly and leaves the user weakened."

"It's a curse -- it's going to leave a longer-lasting after-effect than that." Wildfire came skidding to a halt as they reached the stairs, and she started to go down them two at a time in order to get to the entrance, which was five floors below them. "And then there's what the Dark Energon _does_ when a Con falls."

Jolt frowned as he mimicked the warrior femme's movements down the stairs. "What do you mean?"

"Sparkseer said that he's seen clouds of the Darkened Energon condense above a fallen Con and move over to another one of its Darkened users. It makes then much stronger, and much harder to deal with." Wildfire shot Jolt a slightly concerned look as they came to the bottom of the stairwell. "All the former gladiators I knew are now druggists, and they'd kill anyone on sight if they got in the way of the Dark stuff -- even one of their fellow Cons. Consider yourself lucky that none of us decided to stay on that side."

"Believe me, I have been."

The two former gladiators slipped out of the Hall of Records and made a mad dash for the section of the city that looked like it had been smoking for some time. The two transformed and went for the section at high speed, whatever Cybertronians that were still wandering the streets dashing out of the way in order to keep clear of the two speeding alt-modes. They reached Ground Zero with the speed of the Seekers in the air -- Wildfire was sure that they almost broke the sound barrier.

Jolt transformed first, looking around in shock at the damage that had been done. "It looks like Megatron might have dropped one of those nuclear bomb things Morgen mentioned," the mech muttered, worried, as Wildfire transformed beside him.

"No," the femme responded. "It's worse than that." She started to dash for the center of the damaged area, which appeared to be a giant crash site for something that had fallen from planet orbit. In the center of the crater that had been left there was a giant robot form that looked like parts of it have once belonged to Iacon itself. "It looks like Megatron woke up a Guardian, then grounded it."

"A Guardian?" Jolt started to pick up his pace. "That looks like Omega Supreme." A look of concern passed over his face. "And he's in trouble -- big trouble."

Wildfire started to pick up her pace, as well, taking note of the forms that were swarming the Guardian, as well as the ones who were trying to fight them off. "Optimus is down there now -- let's roll."

The two reached the edge of the crater, then slid down the side as the two prepared to fire on the Darkened Decepticons; Wildfire with her cannons, and Jolt with electrical discharges that acted as though they could have been actual lightning strikes.

The two attacks combined in some cases, the blaster fire from Wildfire's arm cannons becoming electrified with an energy boost that stunned and damaged a few of the Decepticons, slowing their movements as they tried to charge at the newcomers.

As the electricity continued to arc around the crater, hitting any of the Darkened Cons that were nearby, Wildfire changed tactics, switching to her vibroblades and coating them with enough fire that the flames spread out, creating trails in the air as the warrior femme moved in a strange, whirling dance that was also extremely dangerous to anyone who happened to be standing near her. Jolt continued to dash about, his electricity coming out in his whip-form, hitting the Cons who dared come close, and continually arcing off his form in crazed patterns that seemed to create a strange, haunting music of its own.

"About time you two got here!" Ironhide barked as he fired on another Decepticon, which was sparking from Jolt's electrical attack. "We were starting to wonder if we were going to have to take these things down ourselves!"

"Well, the cavalry's arrived," Wildfire called back, using one of the few English phrases that Morgen had mentioned to them. "What's with the Guardian?"

"Something happened near Teletrann-1," the red mech replied as he made his way over to the two, still firing on the Cons. "It woke him up for some reason. Optimus thinks Megatron was after something."

"After what?" Jolt asked, frowning. A Decepticon started to loom over him, but he blasted the Darkened mech back with a large discharge of electricity. "And why would it be here in Iacon?"

"Sounds like it would have to be pretty important," Wildfire noted grimly. She caught sight of a dark purple blur approaching from her left and moved her vibroblade in an upward direction, causing a wave of fire to send her assailant flying backwards. "And with all of these Decepticons, as well...." She shook her helm. "Something's wrong."

"Well, obviously," spoke an annoyed femme's voice. "Megatron isn't right in the head."

Wildfire stopped her whirling dance in surprise, turning sharply in order to see the figure who was standing behind her. Her optics widened. "Chromia?"

"Hey, Wildfire," the green femme replied, smirking, a servo on her hip. "It's been a while."

The femme found herself staring into the annoyed and angered optics of the former gladiator. "What are you doing here, Chromia?"

"Relax, Wildfire," Ironhide growled, stepping between the two femmes. "Chromia's with me."

Wildfire turned her gaze to the weapons specialist. "What are you doing with her? Last time I checked, she was a Decepticon, and you had sworn to kill her."

"A lot has happened out here while you've been messing around with those humans inside the Hall of Records," Ironhide responded with a smirk.

"Hu-what?" Chromia repeated, frowning.

"Explain later, fight now!" Bulkhead yelled from another spot in the crater. "We've got Cons to crush, here!"

A rather murderous grin passed over Chromia's face, mimicked a moment later by Ironhide. The two then dashed off, weapons active, into a group of Decepticons.

"Anyone else get the feeling that those two know each other?" Jolt asked hesitantly.

"Yes they do. Who knows how long they've been corresponding," Wildfire responded. She turned her attention to another large group of Decepticons, who appeared to be surrounding four Autobots separated into pairs, fighting back to back. The warrior femme identified them quickly: Shape-Change and Sideswipe, and Sparkseer and Arcee. They looked like they could have used a refresher. "Better get moving if we have any hope of beating these guys." She dashed forward, vibroblades spewing fire as she prepared to attack the Darkened Cybertronians and get them off the Autobots' backs. Jolt followed close behind, his servos sparking as he prepared to pull out his whips.

"You look like you could use some help!" Jolt called out with an eager smile as he approached. Stopping near the edge of the Decepticon crowd, he spun his electric whips around, managing to pull some of them away so that the mech could fight them himself, rather than have the other four have all the fun.

"You certainly took your time getting here!" Arcee called out, not bothering to take her gaze away from the Cybertronian she was presently concentrating her fire on. While the dark blue/purple femme didn't have the kind of blaster that could leave large holes in her foes, they could find chinks in armor where joints were most likely located, and she was managing to successfully bring them down to one knee or disable an arm before Sparkseer would finish them off properly with a blast of what appeared to be Spark energy.

"There was a traffic problem!" Wildfire shouted in return. Her vibroblades were soon stuck in the back of a Decepticon, and she twisted them as she went deeper, leaving large holes that spewed a dark purple substance that seemed to make a buzzing noise that set the warrior femme on edge; Dark Energon was not something that was meant to be messed with.

The Decepticon that Wildfire had managed to damage let out a shriek of pain that turned into a shrill laugh, and the Con turned around to face its assailant. Red optics speckled with dark purple and filled with mirth from battle looked at Wildfire before turning into surprise. A gleeful look crossed the Con's face. "Well, well. Hey, mechs! It's Wildfire!"

A group of Decepticons broke off from the main group and turned to face Wildfire, the warrior femme blinking in surprise upon seeing who it was that she was facing.

"Barricade?" she asked, looking at the Con she had wounded in shock.

"The one and only," the black and white mech responded with a cackle. "It's been too long since I'd last seen you, femme!" A wicked grin came across his face. "Let's see if you'll last longer than Sentinel Prime did when he tried to fight Lord Megatron." With a feral growl m he leapt at Wildfire, only for the femme to move to the side, her vibroblades sparking from the flames that so greedily licked at them.

"The Dark Energon has changed you," Wildfire noted bitterly, bringing her arms up to a fighting stance. She didn't even notice that the other Decepticons had swung around them in a tight circle, evil grins on their faces at the prospect of watching Barricade finish off the former gladiator. "And I thought that you could have been a friend."

Barricade smirked. "We can still be, if you join us," he hissed darkly, holding out his left servo. "Dark Energon is a wonderful feeling -- a powerful boost that I'm sure you can make great use of."

Wildfire stared at the servo offered to her, then back at the Decepticon's face.

"What do you say?" Barricade asked, offering what probably should have been a charming smile. Instead, it came out as a sneer.

Wildfire's optics narrowed into slits, and she raised her left vibroblade. A moment later, it was near the ground, having completely chopped off Barricade's left servo.

The mech stumbled back, holding his now bleeding arm close in order to staunch the flow of Dark Energon.

"That's my answer," the warrior femme stated coldly. "And you will take it with you to the Pit!"

She raised her vibroblade again in order to strike at the black and white mech's neck cables, but the Decepticons standing around them pounced on her, weapons active, surrounding her in a tight circle as they prepared to finish her off.

Wildfire gritted her denta as she started her whirling dance of fire again, bringing her vibroblades to bear on whoever came too close to her to escape them. The streams of fire zoomed around her, creating a firestorm as she poured more of her energy into it, causing Decepticons to step back in order to avoid the fiery frenzy that could have easily partially melted their armor and worked its way into their frames.

It was at this point that the warrior femme began to lash out. The vibroblade remained above her left servo while one of the cannons replaced her right, firing with deadly force at the strangely dark-colored Decepticons who dared to stay surrounding her. The fiery dance never let up, either, remaining like a protective shield around her as she worked away at her enemies. Cons started to fall, holes and gashes from her attacks showing clearly in their armor, dark sparks flying from the wounds as the Dark Energon started to fly to the still online foes.

Slowly, but surely, the fighting started to become more intense as the Decepticons worked their way forward, the Dark Energon allowing for them to brush off Wildfire's attacks like they were simply blaster fire from a Mini-Con. While the warrior femme didn't want to admit it, she herself was starting to become tired, as well -- using this much firepower was starting to wear away at her energy reserves, and Wildfire could already tell that she was starting to lose ground.

"Oh no ya don't!" A voice cut through the sound of clashing metal and roaring flames, and a white blur suddenly appeared in front of Wildfire, hacking away at the Decepticons as the warrior femme's fire started to die. Her optics widened in surprise upon seeing who her rescuer was.

"Jazz?" Wildfire asked in surprise, pausing momentarily in her dangerous dance. "What are you doing?"

"Savin' your skin, dat's what I'm doing!" the mech retorted. "Now are ya goin' ta help me or not?"

Wildfire blinked in slight confusion before nodding, a determined look coming over her face. She turned, brought her cannon up to optic level, and fired at the face of the Con who was closest to her; he seemed to resemble what Black Out might have looked like once, but this mech had much more twisted features. The Con stumbled back, letting out a shriek as the cannon fire partially melted his face before Wildfire chopped off his helm, bringing the mech's life to an end.

"What do you think the Cons are here for?" the warrior femme asked. She and Jazz moved into a back-to-back stance in order to cover whatever blind spots they might have had, moving in a dangerous dance that left their attackers with more cuts and holes than should have been possible for a Cybertronian still living. "Megatron wouldn't have attacked without a purpose."

"I got somethin' of an idea," Jazz admitted. "Dere's dis thing called da Plasma Energy Chamber, an' it can be an unlimited resource. Rumor has it dat it was sealed away in Iacon somewhere. Omega Supreme was probably guardin' it."

The mentioned giant Cybertronian suddenly slammed his foot down near them, crushing another one of the Decepticons, who let out a shrill shriek as his life was cut short.

"Unlimited resource, huh?" Wildfire chopped off a protruding blaster that was getting close to her own face, then blasted the Con that had owned it back. "If we managed to get our servos on that, we wouldn't have to worry about running out of Energon."

"Or, if Buckethead got his servos on it, he'd have a whole lot more Dark Energon dan he already does," Jazz responded. His own vibroblades caught the vibroblades of a Con, and the mech managed to forcefully flip over the Con and send him sprawling, tripping up a few of the others while Jazz quickly pocketed his foes with blaster fire. "We'd be in big trouble den."

Wildfire nodded grimly. "Let's hope he doesn't get his servos on it." The warrior femme started fighting with much more ferocity than before, even though she was already low on energy -- getting the Plasma Energy Chamber away from Megatron was more important at this point. Another thought occurred to her, then. "Where's Barricade?"

"Barricade?" Jazz looked over at the warrior femme. "What do ya want wit' him?"

"I cut off his servo. I want to do the same to the rest of him," Wildfire replied grimly. Her optics scanned the group of Darkened Cons, and she caught sight of the mech she was looking for, standing just outside of the group, an eager look on his face. "The two of us could have had something going for us, but now...." The warrior femme shook her helm. "That idiot is going to _really_ pay for using Dark Energon."

Within Wildfire's form, her core temperature started to slowly rise along with her anger. This caused Jazz to let out a yelp and jump away from her, looking at the warrior femme with surprise.

"Yer gettin' really heated!" the white mech noted, concerned. "Yer gonna burn yerself out dat way!"

Wildfire's optics narrowed as she concentrated on the Decepticons around her. Her processor's targeting systems, which normally worked with her cannons, were now targeting multiple Cybertronians that she saw as a threat. Retracting her vibroblade and cannon, the warrior femme brought her servos up to a position in front of her face, clenching them into fists as her core temperature continued to rise.

A nanoklik later, everything exploded in fire.

Jazz watched in shock and surprise as a wave of fire exploded out of Wildfire, tendrils of the white-hot attack snaking around him in order to attack the Decepticons that surrounded the two Autobots. The Darkened mechs started to fall, screaming as the tendrils snaked through their optics and audio sensors in order to fry their processors, or took the more direct approach as multiple tendrils bored a hole through armor in order to get at a Con's Spark chamber. Dark Energon started to pool out at a faster rate than might have been deemed possible as Wildfire's attack -- seemingly with a mind of its own -- wove in and out of the Decepticons surrounding her and Jazz.

"What? No!"

Jazz turned to look over at the only Decepticon standing -- Barricade, who looked shocked as well as terrified by what Wildfire had just done. "You never did something like this! Wildfire, you can still join us! The Dark Energon will accept you!"

"But I don't want to accept it!" Wildfire shot back. She turned to face the twisted mech, the fire responding, looking as though the entire attack had sprouted out of her back like a pair of wings. "Goodbye, Barricade. Maybe you'll learn something when you get back to the AllSpark." The warrior femme didn't need to say anything more; her intention was made clear enough when the fire tendrils shot for Barricade at once. They all dug into the black and white mech and ate away at his form, causing him to scream one last-high-pitched shriek as his features dissipated into a blinding, white-hot glow.

Wildfire let out a yell, and the foe instantly disappeared, and the glow that surrounded Barricade faded, revealing a lifeless husk of twisted metal, which collapsed into a motionless heap. Wildfire managed to stand for a nanoklik longer, but she soon collapsed onto one knee, breathing heavily as her cooling fans kicked in so that whatever heat remained from the attack wouldn't damage her inner workings.

"Wildfire!" Jazz exclaimed in alarm, dashing forward. He started to help the warrior femme up. "Are ya all righ'?"

Wildfire let out a grunt. "Just give me a cube of Energon or a recharge, and I'll be good," she responded.

"First Aid! I need ya over here -- pronto!" Wildfire looked up in alarm upon hearing Jazz call this out.

"First Aid is here in this mess?" The warrior femme started to look around as she leaned against Jazz, trying to catch sight of the femme medic.

"OP thought dat dere might be a few bots down from the explosion," the Special Ops agent responded in a grim tone. "He had First Aid come wit' us."

"And I was more than happy to come and help," the mentioned medic responded as she approached. She initiated a scan while she continued, "I saw the light show that destroyed Barricade. You haven't done anything like that before."

"I think it's because I...haven't pushed myself to that limit," Wildfire managed to state. "And I haven't become that...angered before, either."

"Angry?" Jazz gave the warrior femme a curious look. "You were mad at that mech?"

"The two might have been close, once," First Aid stated, as though that was enough. She finished off the scan and declared, "Your Energon reserves are low. If you stay out here and try to fight for much longer, you're going to go into stasis lock. I recommend that you go back to the Hall of Records immediately."

"No." A determined look came over Wildfire's face. "I'm not going now. You guys need me out here to take on the Cons."

"That may be, but the Cons that are here have already started to dwindle in number. We should be fine." Wildfire sent a look in Jazz's direction. "Take her back to the Hall of Records and make sure that she gets some Energon in her."

The white mech nodded. "You can count on me!" He turned and started to drag a reluctant Wildfire out of the crater, leaving the battle far behind.

"Let me go!" Wildfire snarled as she tried to slip away from the white mech. "I have to help the others, not run like a coward!"

"Yah did all ya could," Jazz replied, grabbing Wildfire with both servos and dragging her as she continued to struggle. "And if ya keep movin' like dat, yer gonna end up in stasis lock like First Aid warned ya about!"

Wildfire glared at the mech and tried to slip away a second time, but she was still weak from releasing the energy burst, and Jazz's grip was too strong for her to muscle her way out of. Eventually, the warrior femme finally stopped moving, against Jazz, but she still glared at him murderously.

"I don't see why she didn't bring any extra Energon with her," she muttered moodily as they reached the edge of the crater. "Then I could get back into battle no problem."

"She prob'ly used it up already," Jazz responded. He gave Wildfire a look as they started walking. "Can ya transform?"

"That's going to take more Energon than walking," the warrior femme noted.

"But it'll be easier to drag ya if ya fall into stasis lock," Jazz retorted. "Now, do it, or I'll force ya."

Wildfire was about to protest, but she heard the tone the white mech was using and saw the glare that he was giving her. It seemed to the warrior femme that Jazz also appeared...concerned, somehow.

Blinking in confusion, the warrior femme let out a reluctant sigh. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Dat's my femme."

Wildfire had already started to transform when she had heard Jazz's statement, and she stiffened, her legs having already folded down and her arms starting to fit into her alt-mode. " _Your_ femme?" She looked over at Jazz with a shocked and angered expression.

"It's just a human sayin' I adopted!" Jazz stated quickly, holding up his servos in defense. "Don't look at me like dat!"

Wildfire glared at him. "Well, don't use it again, all right?" She completed the transformation while Jazz nodded vigorously, a sheepish look on his face.

"Dis could tickle a little," Jazz warned. He transformed, then fired what looked like a grappling hook at Wildfire, managing to hook it under her front bumper. The white mech then started to pull forward, towing Wildfire behind him in order that she could conserve some of her energy so that she could still be online by the time they got back to the Hall of Records. "Trust me on dis -- just leave it to me, 'kay? I'll get ya back to Hatchet no problem."

Wildfire let out a chuckle -- obviously, her exhaustion was getting to her. "He'll probably wrench you when we get back for that."

"Why? He won' know dat I said it."

"He'll think you probably did, anyway." Wildfire's vision, which was already a little convoluted because the transformation placed her optic sensors low to the ground, started to blur as the low Energon started to get even lower, affecting her sensors. Already, she was starting to lose motor control of her wheels -- the T-cog had long since locked up. Wildfire wouldn't be getting out of her alt-mode until after she had gained a full tank of Energon.

Jazz seemed to sense this. "Stay with me, Wildfire. It's just a bit further. Can ya stay online until we get to the medbay, at least?"

"I don't...think...I can." Wildfire's speech patterns started to slow as her processor prepared to slip into stasis lock. The warrior femme did her best to try and stay online up but it didn't seem to work too well for her -- she just slipped into it even further.

Jazz started to pick up his pace as Wildfire's optics started to shut down. "I'm not gonna lose ya to stasis lock just cause ya forgot to fuel up at da start of the cycle," he muttered. Wildfire was almost incoherent at this point, but she heard some of the rest of Jazz's statement as he continued, "If ya go in deep, I'm gonna offline ya when ya come back fer givin' me a Spark attack...."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Wildfire let out a groan as she slowly came online, her optics flickering to life as he audio sensors picked up muttering that sounded concerned and worried. The warrior femme was quick to notice that her Energon levels were as high as they were ever going to go, which was some sort of consolation considering that she had gone into stasis lock.

Wildfire started to sit up, taking note that she was in the medbay and that she was the only one who was actually lying on a berth; the other figures present were standing in a corner of the room saying something that the warrior femme couldn't quite pick up.

Wildfire decided to try and test her strength -- as a former gladiator, it was important to be able to get up and moving as soon as possible, so that you could be fit for your next match. She had managed to get her legs over the edge of the berth when her movements caught the attention of one of the two mechs in the corner.

"Oh, no ya don't!" Jazz rushed over and pushed Wildfire's legs back onto the berth. "Yer not gettin' off dat just yet. Ratchet's still gotta have a look at cha."

Wildfire sent him a glare. "And since when do I need that medic to look me over? All I needed was a refill of Energon." She started to move again, only for a sharp pain to overcome her left side, causing her to grunt.

"Dat's why," Jazz stated, motioning to the weld that was there. "Ya got hit when ya were doin' dat fire overload. Didn't notice it till we were back here -- ya were in stasis lock by den, and the Energon wasn' really comin' out all that fast."

"So it was a scratch," Wildfire stated, looking down at the weld. "I should be fine."

"You nearly became infected with Dark Energon," the other mech stated -- Jolt. "Ratchet and I used a lot of decontamination supplies to make sure that you wouldn't become Darkened like Barricade was." The mech looked grim.

Wildfire raised an optic ridge for a moment, then her optics narrowed as she remembered what had occurred before she had gone into stasis lock. "What happened with Megatron?"

The two mechs looked at each other, Jolt looking more worried than Jazz was.

"What happened?" Wildfire repeated. She could tell that there was something that was wrong."

"He got away with the Plasma Energy Chamber," Jolt reluctantly stated. "Ratchet's out there now, having a look at Omega Supreme."

Wildfire's optics narrowed even further upon hearing this. "Any casualties from our end?"

That made Jolt look even more nervous. "Well...."

"Tell me! What happened out there?!" Wildfire looked ready to force it out of the mech.

"It's...First Aid," Jolt replied carefully.

Wildfire felt her circuits freeze when she heard the words, optics widening. "What?" Her voice became more quiet, a shocked look in her optics.

"When Omega Supreme collapsed after you two left, First Aid made her way over as quickly as she could to try and do something to stabilize him," Jolt continued, sharing a nervous glance with Jazz. "Starscream...he saw her coming, and --"

"Chromia said she took a fusion blast to da spark chamber," Jazz stated abruptly, noticing that Jolt was reluctant to continue. "She's gone, Wildfire."

Wildfire felt like her core temperature had dropped to the point of it being a near-liquid nitrogen state. "No...not First Aid...." The warrior femme looked away from the two mechs: she could feel the watered-down Energon tears already starting to leave her optics.

She felt a servo on her right shoulder, but Wildfire didn't bother to look over as she heard Jazz's statement.

"Wildfire, don' be afraid 'bout lettin' dem feelin's show. It's good to let 'em out an' show de oder Bots dat yer like de rest of us." He leaned forward a little and whispered in her audio sensor. "Between you and me, I'd kinda prefer it if ya did." The servo shifted around, stopping only when Jazz had the warrior femme in a half-hug, gripping her shoulder.

Wildfire didn't bother to look over at Jolt to see how he might have been taking this scene; he was probably as distraught as she was about the loss of her friend.

Footsteps resounded against the metal floor as another figure came in -- Ratchet, wiping his servos on a rag that Wheeljack had managed to make out of synthetic materials for the humans; it was left over from whatever the organics had done, so the medic had decided to make good use of it in wiping off bodily fluids from other Cybertronians.

"I've managed to --" Ratchet stopped short, his footsteps stopping at the same time. Wildfire looked up to see that Ratchet was standing near her berth, looking at the former gladiator with a slightly surprised expression.

"What?" Wildfire snapped. "I can't cry for the loss of my friend?" The Energon tears continued to come down the femme's face as she looked at the medic. It seemed to her that he had most likely been leaking, as well.

Personally, Wildfire preferred the human term "crying."

Ratchet's surprised look softened into one of exhaustion and sorrow. "It's just...I had never expected you to be capable of such things, considering how often you keep your emotions locked up."

"Well, I am," Wildfire stated bitterly. She looked down at the floor and closed her optics in order to try and stop the flow, but the Energon tears still ran freely. She could feel one of Jazz's servos on her back, rotating -- the former gladiator figured that it was meant to be a comforting gesture. "First Aid was the first Cybertronian I ever allowed myself to become close to. She was the only medic I ever let near me back in Kaon, because I knew...that she knew how to do things _right_. The other medics down there were nothing more than scientists who didn't completely know what they were doing."

The other mechs said nothing while Wildfire paused; most likely they were waiting for her to continue.

"She was the one who originally introduced me to Shape-Change; those two had been friends for who knew how many cycles, when the shifter had originally joined the gladiators. And then the shifter told us about Sparkseer." Wildfire looked up and over at Jolt, who was standing a good distance behind Jazz, a slightly confused look on his face. "If it hadn't been for her, I would still be alone."

The warrior femme could feel confusion pricking her from Coil, but the other bonds held varying degrees of deep sorrow -- Shape-Change seeming to be the most distraught out of all of them.

"What abou' Barricade?" Jazz asked. His voice sounded curious, but there was a darker aspect to it that Wildfire took note of and almost caused her to chuckle. Was the mech _jealous?_ "First Aid said dat da two of ya were close."

"He was one of my first few opponents -- First Aid ended up looking at the both of us at the same time, and he had complimented me on me fighting style. After that, he had...taken me out to a few of the bars in Kaon when we weren't fighting other gladiators," Wildfire admitted, still feeling a little sensitive at the mentioning of the femme medic. "We had considered possibly sparkbonding, but then we had a bit of a falling out. The mech decided that he didn't want to be with a femme who could best him in a mere spar." Wildfire spat the last word out as though it was a piece of scrap, a contorted look appearing on her face. "We were still friends, but even that is stretching it a little far in some cases."

"Oh." Jazz sounded oddly relieved, and Wildfire couldn't help but feel suspicious about this. Her own Spark was reacting strangely, as well -- like it wanted her to turn around and look the white mech in the face, and talk to him in that manner....

Wildfire shook the thought out of her processor quickly. There was no way that she was going to do anything with that mech.

"You three had better get out of here," Ratchet stated. He sounded much more gruff than he had in the past few Mega-Cycles. "Optimus is planning on invading Kaon, and he's going to need all the help he can get."

Wildfire's helm shot up when she heard this. "Invade Kaon? Why?"

"Sentinel Prime is trapped down there, and you're going to have to go rescue him."

**Time Break**

_::All right, Inferno -- we're almost into Kaon::_

_::About time, Seer::_ Wildfire grumbled, shifting on her tires. _::I'm starting to get cramped in this trailer::_

_::Calm yourself. Our destination isn't far::_

_:: Easy for you to say -- you're not the one stuck in here::_

_::She does have a point::_ came Optimus' voice. _::However, Odin is right -- we are entering the main gates now. Jazz --::_

_::Come on, Orion! Call me by my code name already!::_

There was a sigh of annoyance. _::Fine. Coolsville, get ready to do your part::_

Wildfire heard a quiet snicker from the dark pink two-wheeler sitting next to her. "You'd think that Orion would have gotten over Morgen's code name by now."

"The name does not fit the situation, Elita," came a matter-of-fact voice from elsewhere in the trailer. "The humans should have taken into account the seriousness of our war when they...created our code names."

"You're just mad because they called you 'Cop Bot," "Elita" replied, still snickering. "I'm just glad their sparklings can't mistake me for some sort of human-made fantasy character anymore. Not since Alpha Trion told me I should be called Elita One."

"That's just because you're Prime's bonded," Wildfire muttered.

There was the sound of voices from outside, and then the familiar sound of someone transforming. A moment later, Jazz's muffled voice came through the trailer's walls, as well as another, unfamiliar voice that sounded gruff and tired. There was silence for a klik, then Jazz let out a short, one-syllable exclamation that sounded like "Thanks!" before he transformed.

Wildfire felt the trailer's floor jolt underneath her as the hauler started to move forward.

 _::We're in::_ Sparkseer reported.

" _Thank_ you," Wildfire breathed in relief. "When am I going to get a chance to stretch out, Odin?"

_::I will let you out of my trailer soon, Inferno. When the signal is given::_

Wildfire let out a low grumble, but Elita nudged her with her front wheel.

"At least you get to go into the heart of things," the two-wheeler stated. "My sister, Prowl and I are backup. We probably won't go in."

"There is a chance that we will be needed," Prowl spoke up.

"There is more of a chance that you won't," Shape-Change spoke up from the back doors of the trailer. "Orion chose to bring four gladiators with him into Kaon. I doubt he will be needing further backup."

"There is a five percent chance that we will be needed," the Praxian responded matter-of-factly. "I will not let myself relax in an abandoned building you pointed out."

"The High Council outpost is the best building for you to hide in," Shape-Change replied. "It was the safest, non-Decepticon infested place that I could find."

"And you did a good job finding it," Elita responded.

Some time later, the Sparkseer brought his trailer to a stop. _::We're at the back-up drop-off point::_ he reported.

"Good," Wildfire grunted.

Outside, there was the sound of something transforming, and a klik later the back doors were opened by a familiar white mech, who looked over the trio in the trailer and gave a nod. A moment later, Elita had jumped over Shape-Change's form and out into the alley across the street. After the shifter had moved, the Cop Bot had followed, leaving Seer's trailer the same time a familiar blue two-wheeler disappeared into the alley.

"All righ'," Jazz said in quiet English. "Seer an' OP are gonna drop the trailers off here an' go the rest of the way wit' you guys leadin'."

"That wasn't in the original plans," Shape-Change noted in the same language.

"No. But we can't use da trailers da deeper we go into da city. Somebot's gonna notice the scrap's not gonna show up at the factory, so we gotta ditch the trailers."

Wildfire revved her engine. "Fine by me, Coolsville. Let's get to the prison and get Sentinel out of there."

Jazz inclined his helm, then gave a nod and stepped back and walked away from the back of the trailer's back entrance. A moment later, Shape-Change rolled out and transformed into her 'bot mode. Wildfire followed her out and transformed, as well.

The red and orange femme looked around the area, taking note of the familiar buildings around them. "We shouldn't be far from there. Depending on what we run into, it could be bad news to get in and out."

"We were able ta slip in wit'out da Cons noticin," Jazz replied. He let out a grunt as he disconnected the trailer from Sparkseer, then moved over to Optimus as the blue mech transformed. "Ah think deir security's not as tight as ours."

"That may be," came Optimus' reply, "but we should not let our guard down, as we are still in enemy territory. Even if some of us know this place like the back of their servos."

Jazz disconnected the trailer, then added, "We're gonna be countin' on you guys ta lead da way. Ya up to it?"

Wildfire, Sparkseer, Shape-Change, and Jolt -- who had left Optimus' trailer, but had yet to speak -- exchanged glances.

"Inferno is the most familiar with this place," Sparkseer spoke up, not taking his eyes off the femme. "We will leave when you are prepared."

Wildfire eyed the two mechs, who looked at each other and nodded.

"All right," Wildfire said. "I'm taking point. Follow me." She collapsed into her alt, then started off down one of the darker streets of Kaon. The other Autobots did the same, following close behind.

"The city's too quiet," Jolt muttered as Wildfire turned a corner a few streets in. "When Shockwave forced me to move, Kaon was teeming with Cons."

"Something is wrong," Sparkseer agreed softly. "There is no way that they would leave their home base so easily abandoned."

"Maybe dey tink dat nobot's gonna try to get in here," Jazz suggested.

"Maybe," came Shape-Change's voice. "But that doesn't mean they wouldn't have left a guard unit behind."

"Well, whether they did or not, we'll soon find out," Wildfire replied. "The Kaon Prison is right in front of us."

At once, the Autobots transformed and moved into shadows as they came to a stop.

Wildfire, who had rolled to the right with Shape-Change, looked out around the protruding corner of a building at their target. Her optics narrowed into slits as she glared at the black structure in front of them; the pyramidal building practically _reeked_ of Dark Energon.

"He just had to put the prison here," she muttered.

"It is much more lightly guarded than I would have expected," Sparkseer remarked, motioning to the one sentry that stood by the door. "And it appears they have chosen to use the one most likely to let bots in. But wouldn't they be afraid of prisoners escaping?"

"Dey probably have enough Dark Energon aroun' ta keep 'em in check," Jazz noted from the other side of the street. He slipped out of his hiding place, then motioned for Wildfire to follow him. The mech started to walk boldly over to the sentry, with the warrior femme following close behind with her Light Refractor up and running as she snuck around behind the sentry.

"Say Con, where can I get some of dat Dark Energon?" Jazz asked casually in Cybertronian, getting Lugnut's attention.

Lugnut looked back at him with a bored and blank expression, as though he hadn't understood a word... but that was right before Wildfire slit some of his more vital neck cables with a vibroblade, causing the Con to collapse without a sound.

"Sorry," Wildfire muttered as she and Jazz caught Lugnut's now dead, leaking form. "You really shouldn't have gone for the Dark stuff, Lugnut." She and the Special Ops agent dragged the mech's body away as Optimus and Sparkseer came forward and started to work away at the door, attempting to open it so that they could get inside.

"Old friend?" Jazz asked as they set the body down and he switched back to English.

"Not as close as Barricade ever was," Wildfire responded grimly. "But close enough to have what could be a friendship."

There was the sound of squealing metal as the doors were pried open, revealing the dark interior of the pyramid.

Shape-Change's olfactory sensor crumpled upward, and the shifter quickly covered it with a servo. "What is that _smell?_ "

"Dark Energon, most likely," Optimus Prime replied grimly. "It seems that the rancid substance has started to grow on its own."

"Considerin' dat Buckethead prob'ly used it on da Plasma Energy Chamber, I'm not surprised," Jazz stated grimly.

"Don't touch anything unless you have to," Sparkseer advised.

"Don't you worry about that," Jolt responded. He sent a look at a strange purple crystal that had formed alongside the entrance and shuddered. "I can't believe I used to live in this place."

"A lot can change when you're not there," Shape-Change murmured. She had removed her servo from her olfactory sensor, but there was still a look of disgust on her face. "Especially when something this dark is involved."

"So, where to?" Jazz asked, looking over at Optimus.

"We need to head down to the gladiator pits," the Prime replied. "That is where they keep their prisoners."

"I know the way," Wildfire volunteered. She took off down one of the corridors, the rest of the group following, each one of them being careful to not step in any Dark Energon that happened to be lying around. "Keep your optics and audio sensors on high alert -- we don't know whether or not there are any more guards around here who could drop down on us at any moment."

The inside of the pyramid looked even worse than it did on the outside. Dark Energon crystals seemed to be growing everywhere you looked, but that wasn't the odd part of it -- there weren't any Decepticons in sight. It was as though the entire prison had been abandoned and left to be crystallized by the dark stuff they relied on so much.

"This is eerie," Jolt muttered, looking somewhat fearful to be treading on old grounds. "You'd think there would be more mechs than just Lugnut."

"Don' jinx it," Jazz responded quickly. "We don' want anybot ta get da drop on us. Seer, ya readin' anything?"

Sparkseer shook his helm. "The Dark Energon is all I can sense, and even then, I can't tell if it is Spark energy or just the crystals wrecking havoc on my systems."

The group started to move into the lower levels, being cautious before they entered a passage or another chamber. However, they never saw a Con -- be it mech or femme -- and ended up marveling at the state of disrepair that the prison had fallen into.

"I do not like this," Optimus Prime murmured as he caught sight of a particularly large crystal in the corner of one room. "Something in my Spark tells me that this is what Cybertron will look like if we fail."

Jolt shuddered. "Not good."

"Then we will not fail," Shape-Change stated quietly. "We must not."

"Hey, guys." Jazz pointed at a couple large holes that led off down dark corridors that seemed to go deeper into the planet. "It looks like we got Undaworldas in de area."

"Underworlders," Sparkseer repeated, frowning slightly as he tightened his grip on his spear. "Yes, this space seems to carry the scent of that realm. What sort of deal could Megatron have made in order for this to occur, I wonder?"

"Nothing good, we can say that," Wildfire responded. The warrior femme started to look around at the walls, where figures were chained, hanging limply. "It looks like we might have come too late for some of these Bots."

"We came waaay to late," Jazz agreed. "Dese guys have been collectin' dust for who knows how long." His optics started to wander around the room, only to stop on a pillar in the center of the room, which was keeping up the roof. "OP! I see Sentinel!"

"I see him, too," Optimus Prime responded, nodding. "It looks like he's still alive, as well."

"Let's get him, then," Jolt stated. He started forward.

"Jolt, wait!" Wildfire exclaimed. "There could still be--"

The warrior femme was cut off short when a pair of electric whips came out of two holes that were positioned across from each other. The whips hit Jolt and wrapped around his arms, causing the blue mech to stop short in surprise, only for the medic-in-training to grin.

Gripping the whips, Jolt yanked the electricity towards himself, bringing out the Cybertronians who were using the attack: a pair of Decepticons who looked like they hadn't seen the starlight outside of the pyramid in Orbital-Cycles.

"Guards?" Jolt finished, looking back at the femme as he tore the whips away from the Decepticons. "All yours."

Wildfire grinned and brought out her vibroblades, then charged at one of the Cons, who looked disoriented and surprised from Jolt's attack. The Con quickly recovered, however, when Wildfire created a gash on the mech's left arm, earning a shriek of pain right before the Con fought back with his own vibroblades, which seemed to be glowing with an unusual energy.

The grin was gone from the warrior femme's face in a nanoklik, and she started to hack away at her opponent as best she could, but the Con was stronger than your average Cybertronian. Wildfire started to slowly lose ground as the other Autobots scattered to fight the Cons that were coming -- seemingly "out of the woodwork," to use the human phrase.

Not that any of them knew what wood _was_ \-- or cared, for that matter.

"Who are you?" Wildfire barked in Cybertronian, her blades locking with her opponent's. They started to push against each other, neither giving or taking any ground.

The Con replied with something that Wildfire found to be near-incomprehensible, but she did manage to catch one word: Blitzwing.

"Blitzwing?" Wildfire repeated, frowning.

 _"Ja!"_ The Con leapt back, the thrusters on his back allowing for him to back up even further than if it were a normal jump. He prepared to charge again, his vibroblades prepared to slash at Wildfire, only for the mech to freeze as his blue face became a blur, changing to different features -- a face that was bright red, and looked like it had a very short temper.

 _"Jetzt sterben!"_ The cannons on Blitzwing's back went from their vertical position to pointing directly at Wildfire, and two large fireballs were sent in her direction.

Wildfire raised an optic ridge upon seeing this, then held up her blades to catch the two fireballs. They were instantly absorbed into the metal, and the warrior femme could tell that she had been given an energy boost from them.

"You think that's a fireball?" she asked, looking at Blitzwing's look of shock with one of amusement. She brought out her cannons and aimed them at the mech. "This is a fireball!"

There was a large explosion of light and sound as two large fireballs were blasted out of Wildfire's cannons and sent flying at the Con, who was sent flying backwards because of them, his face blurring as his expression changed repeatedly and he screamed in pure terror. The cry was cut short when he slammed into a wall and slid down onto the floor, however.

 _"Nicht fertig!"_ Blitzwing whined as he got up off his back. The Con sent Wildfire a glare. _"Du hat mir nicht eine Warnung gegeben!"_

Wildfire raised an optic ridge. "What did you say?"

 _"Ach. Dumm femme."_ Blitzwing charged at Wildfire again, his vibroblades coming out again. _"Sterben!"_

Wildfire saw the attack coming at her from a mechanometer away, and she stepped aside. Blitzwing was unable to stop, and he crashed into the wall behind her. The warrior femme was quick to take note that Blitzwing not only had wings, but there were tires for a ground-type mode, as well.

"A triple-changer," the warrior femme noted. "Now that's a rare sight." She got into a battle stance again as the Con started to get up, groaning.

 _"Ja. Du hast keine Idee, wie oft hat Leute zu mir gesagt."_ Blitzwing looked at her with a neutral expression, one optic covered in a circular piece of glass. The warrior femme found it slightly disturbing how the Con was able to change his faces as he did -- one a monster from the Underworld, another a short-tempered mech, and now this blue-faced neutral.

She decided to try a different tactic in order to get to understand him and his strange language.

"All right, Blitzwing." Wildfire dashed forward and slammed Blitzwing into the wall, ignoring the fact that his wounded arm was starting to spill Energon on her armor. "Why are there tunnels leading to the Underworld down here?"

Blitzwing let out a gasp. "Du...you speak ze language?" He seemed oddly amazed to hear Wildfire speak in English.

Wildfire raised and optic ridge before her optics narrowed into slits. "That doesn't matter right now! Tell me what Megatron's doing with the Underworlders!"

Blitzwing frowned, then his face changed to the red-faced angered one. "Nein! Now let go of me before I send you to ze Underworld myself!" He leveled his cannons on Wildfire again and started to fire multiple fireballs at her.

"That didn't work last time," the warrior femme warned, a grin coming over her face as her power levels were boosted.

Blitzwing let out a growl, then shifted to the black monster face that Wildfire had thought was from the Underworld. "In zat case, you won't expect zis!" The cannons, as they were still leveled on Wildfire, blasted a thick beam of ice that covered Wildfire's chest, bringing her out of balance and causing the warrior femme to fall backwards as Blitzwing laughed maniacally.

Wildfire let out a growl and upped her core temperature, causing the ice to start to melt as Blitzwing approached. "What kind of triple-changer _are_ you?"

Blitzwing's neutral face came back, a sinister smile located on it. "Ze kind zat no one can last long against." His cannons leveled on her again, and the Con prepared to fire.

"No!"

Jazz came barreling out of nowhere, slamming into Blitzwing and sending his next blast of ice along the floor and up to the ceiling, taking out the Con that Optimus was fighting along the way. "Yer not gonna take her down! Not dis cycle!"

Blitzwing turned to face Jazz as "Hothead" came out. "How dare you! I waz about to out her out of her misery!"

"An' I didn' want tcha to!" Jazz retorted. He started blasting Blitzwing back while Wildfire continued to make her core temperature rise.

The warrior femme let out a grunt as she broke the weakened ice by flexing her arms in an outward direction. She then started to get up, but her circuits had been partially frozen by the Con's attack, making her movements sluggish.

Blitzwing saw her moving, and threw Jazz away from him and into the nearby wall. "Nein! You are not going to leave zis place alive!" He aimed a missile launcher at the warrior femme as she started to get up, preparing to fire.

Wildfire looked up sharply, her optics filled with defiance. "Oh no, you don't!" She brought out the cannon in her right arm, and she fired at Blitzwing, sending him flying backwards. "I am _not_ going to be taken out by a crazy psychopath."

"Oi! How dare you!" Blitzwing glared at Wildfire and jumped at her, his digits seeming to sharpen. Jazz grabbed the triple changer from behind and swung him around, sending the Con flying towards Jolt, who promptly zapped the schizophrenic mech into unconsciousness.

"Since when did a Con know a human language?" Jazz asked, looking over at Wildfire as he raised an optic ridge.

The warrior femme shrugged as she got up, then frowned. "So that _is_ a human language, then."

"Yeah -- Morgen demonstrated it to meh. Called it 'German'." Jazz looked concerned. "And den he knows English ta boot. Dat means Sundwave could know 'bout our code...."

"I hope that isn't the case," Wildfire responded. She looked around the room, taking note that the other Decepticons had been defeated, and the group had gathered around the central pillar, where Sentinel Prime was chained. The warrior femme started over, Jazz following close behind.

"There is something you must do," Sentinel Prime rasped as the two approached.

"Tell me," Optimus responded, looking at the other Prime intently.

"You must enter the Core. I hear it speaking to me now, in a voice that grows fainter every cycle. Megatron, the fool, has infected it with Dark Energon. If something is not done, Cybertron itself will die." He let out a moan. "And so will all of us...." With that, his helm collapsed on his torn-open chest, the glow that showed through the shielding that protected his Spark dying from a faint glow to absolute nothingness.

"And so ends Sentinel Prime."

The group turned to see a large, hulking figure standing in front of the entrance they had taken from the gladiator arena.

"Breakdown," Jolt growled, getting into a fighting stance. "What are you doing down here?"

"Just because there weren't many guards up and about, doesn't mean that our security isn't uptight." Breakdown gave a large grin. "And I can take you all on without a problem."

Wildfire stepped forward as Jazz helped Optimus get Sentinel's body down. "We'll see about that. I've been fighting for longer than you have." She dashed forward, bringing out her vibroblades as she did so. "Let's see how you can handle against me!"

Wildfire got close enough to slice Breakdown when the larger mech slammed her to one side with a large hammer, sending her flying into a wall.

"Obviously, you haven't paid any visits to Shockwave recently," Breakdown stated with a grin. "Or started using the Dark Energon available."

Wildfire let out a grunt as she started to get up, the Dark Energon attempting to find whatever intake ports she had in her armor. As if in response, the welded wound started to throb.

"Dark Energon will slowly kill you because you use it so much," the warrior femme warned, getting up slowly. "As it's probably killing the planet right now. If you win, you won't have a planet left to rule."

Breakdown let out a laugh. "So what? We'll have won, and that's all that matters." His grin became more sadistic. "And I'm looking forward to tearing your helm right off its neck cables." He leapt at Wildfire, only to be suddenly blasted into another wall by a sphere of blue energy.

"You leave her alone!" Sparkseer barked. He gripped his spear tightly in his left servo, a second sphere already forming and crackling in his right. "Come and face me, brute!"

Breakdown glared at Sparkseer, then charged at the mech, his other servo becoming a second hammer. With a crazed roar, he ran at Sparkseer, only for Shape-Change to blast him back with a large cannon that came out of her back. This sent Breakdown _through_ the wall he had slammed into the first time. Shape-Change promptly went after him, leaping through the wall with a determined look on her face.

"You all right?" Jolt asked, coming over to Wildfire's side.

The warrior femme let out a groan. "Hurts...." The Dark Energon was trying to work its way into her, and it was starting to literally bore holes into her armor.

The electric mech's optics widened. "Guys, we have a problem! Wildfire's got a major Dark Energon infection!"

Helms move sharply in order to look in Wildfire's direction. The warrior femme started to get up, only for Jolt to put up an electric barrier.

"You are not moving until I can do what I can to stop the infection," the medic-in-training stated firmly. "Sparkseer, do you think you can do anything for her?"

Sparkseer came over and knelt next to the mech. Wildfire could see Sparkseer's optics flashing as he did his own version of a scan. The warrior femme could tell that the Dark Energon was starting to pick up some speed -- already, things were starting to get fuzzy in her vision.

"I can slow the infection," Sparkseer stated, holding a servo out over a section of Wildfire's chest. "It will take a great amount of energy, however. Don't expect me to be capable of assisting in the fight against Breakdown after this."

"I think Shape-Change will be able to handle him herself," Jolt responded, glancing over his shoulder as Sparkseer's servo started to glow a soft blue. "She seems...driven enough."

"You have...no idea," Wildfire wheezed. Already, her vocoder was starting to become affected.

"Don't talk," Sparkseer ordered as blue energy started to come together under Sparkseer's servo. A beam of Spark energy soon completely materialized, connecting with Wildfire's chest and seeming to disappear into it.

"What are ya doin'?" Jazz asked, coming over with a curious and cautious expression. Optimus followed, carrying Sentinel Prime's form with great care.

"I'm using the Energon and Spark energy in my systems to purge the Dark Energon from her," Sparkseer responded calmly. Already, the bright blue beam was starting to darken, purple streams bursting off and into the air before dissipating. Wildfire could feel the effect of the energy, as well: she started to feel stronger, more like herself.

As the contaminated energy continued to leave Wildfire, Sparkseer started to look like he was starting to look strained. His systems gradually started to splutter as Wildfire started to feel her systems gain strength.

Sparkseer gritted his denta and started a low growl that ended in a yell as he pulled away; the column of purple energy that was above Wildfire's chest exploded and zoomed in almost very direction; Optimus and Jazz had to move quickly in order to avoid the blasting energy.

"I've managed to remove most of it," Sparkseer gasped as he started to stand up; Jolt assisted him, then held out a servo to get Wildfire up. "If we can find the medbay here, then I might be able to remove the rest of it."

"We must move, then," Optimus voiced.

Jazz came over to help Wildfire stay upright, then started for the exit, only to be forced to stop short when Shape-Change was thrown through the wall and into the central pillar, causing it to partially collapse.

"SC!" Wildfire exclaimed in alarm, looking over at the shifter.

"She was no match for me," Breakdown growled as he stepped out, grinning at having triumphed against Shape-Change. "Who's next?" He slammed his hammers together in a intimidating manner.

Wildfire's optics narrowed. She could feel the Dark Energon still running in her systems, and it felt like it could sense her anger upon seeing the shifter defeated.

The warrior femme figured that she may as well make the most of it, as her core temperature started to rise swiftly.

"Jolt, Sparkseer," Wildfire growled, her optics flashing, "get back."

"Wildfire, are you crazy?" Jolt demanded. "The infection's going to --"

"Let her," Sparkseer murmured. He stepped back, pulling the medic-in-training with him. "Remember what happened before, in Iacon?"

Jolt nodded, looking somewhat nervous.

"I have only seen her become this angered once before -- I will not go into details as that is irrelevant. Her core temperature will rise to the point of the molten material in the industrial factories...and you do not want to be five mechanometers near her when she goes." Sparkseer looked over at Wildfire, who now appeared to be covered in fire as Breakdown approached her, slightly curious but looking eager to smash her just the same. "Barricade managed to calm her down before, but now...."

"You dared to hurt my friend," Wildfire hissed, glaring at Breakdown with enough force to cause him to stop short. "You will not leave this room for that."

"Oh, yeah?" Breakdown laughed. "I'd like to see you try to make that happen." He raised his hammers. "It's hammer time!"

Neither hammer got close to Wildfire.

The fire exploded around her, wrapping around Breakdown's hammers and waist, sending him flying into the ceiling, then down to the floor as the fiery tendrils tightened, creating melted tracks into the metal.

Breakdown grunted in pain as Wildfire continued to throw him around without even needing to lift a digit to harm him in hand-to-hand. "You never did anything like this to your opponents in the arena!"

"I didn't need to," Wildfire responded. Her voice sounded darker than normal, and it caused alarm bells to go off in the others' helms. "No one has pushed me to this edge in the arena. No one dared to." Her optics flashed as they slowly turned darker. "Not until you." She raised her arms, and fire exploded out of her, latching onto Breakdown, slowly boring into him, leaving melted tracks along his armor. "And no one will after you."

**"Enough!"**

The sudden roar of a voice suddenly blasted into the chamber, and it was though everyone had suddenly frozen from the yell.

At the same time, Wildfire let out a scream as dark smoke suddenly left her form, leaving her on her knees. A second later, her fire dissipated...but Breakdown still remained in the air, mouth open in a silent scream as though he was frozen.

"Who said that?" Jolt asked, looking around in surprise as Wildfire started to get to her feet unsteadily.

"It was not me," Sparkseer stated. "I do not have a voice of that level of power." He looked over at the two other mechs. "Did one of you speak?"

Jazz shook his helm, looking somewhat shaken. "Wasn' me." He looked over at the red and blue mech next to him. "Was dat you, OP?"

Optimus frowned, then shook his own helm. "No, it was not. However, the voice did sound oddly...familiar."

"Well, if it wasn't one of you two...." Wildfire let out a grunt as she tried to get to her feet, only to fail miserably and collapse into her knees. "Who was it?"

"It was I who spoke."

The five Autobots turned their helms to face the source of the voice somewhere behind them -- while, at the same time, here was an explosion from the pillar as Shape-Change forced herself out of the rubble. As she dusted off what remained of her temporary prison, the pieces of dust swirled in the air and froze there like the larger pieces of rubble, refusing to fall or drift elsewhere.

Wildfire's optics widened as she looked up at the purple, gold, and white mech who stood before gem with his wings folded down his back like some sort of human cape. The tall mech also looked old -- older than Alpha Trion, maybe. Behind him was what looked like some sort of rip, but it shimmered as though it wasn't really there.

"Who are you?" Wildfire asked shortly as Jolt reached down and helped the femme to her feet.

"I?" The mech's blue optics moved over the group, pausing on Optimus Prime and sending a look of disgust at the frozen Breakdown. "I am Vector Prime."

**German translations:**

**"Ja!" -- "Yes!"**

**"Jetzt sterben!" -- "Now die!"**

**"Nicht fertig!" -- "Not/no fair!"**

**"Du hat mir nicht eine Warnung gegeben!" -- "You didn't give me a warning!"**

**"Dumm femme." -- "Stupid/dumb femme."**

**"Du hast keine Idee, wie off hat Leute zu mir gesagt." -- "You have no idea how often people have said that to me."**

**"Nein!" -- "No!"**


	18. Chapter 18

The group of four former gladiators and two Iaconians looked at the old mech in surprise and shock upon hearing the words that had come out of his mouth.

"Vector Prime?" Shape-Change asked. "Truly?"

"It seems to make sense," Optimus noted, frowning curiously. "There is a rip in space behind him, and time does seem to be frozen around us, much like when Elita uses her ability. Vector Prime has been known as the mech who could do such things."

The three mechs and two femmes gave him dubious looks.

Wildfire, after a klik, blinked before her optics widened. "He's right."

"What do you mean?" Jolt asked.

"Alpha Trion gave me a copy of one of his books. It mentioned that old mech and some of what he could do." The femme jabbed a digit in Vector Prime's direction; the old mech was still standing where he had been when he had appeared. Wildfire then turned to look over at the member of the Thirteen. "What are you doing here, anyway? I was right in the middle of something." She motioned to Breakdown, who was still mid-air, mid-scream.

"I would rather not see you commit to the dark side that is the enemy who created Dark Energon," Vector replied grimly. "You are lucky that I decided to intervene when I did. As for my true reason for coming here...." Vector Prime looked over at Optimus again for a moment. "It is time for you four to leave Cybertron."

"Leave?" Jazz frowned. "Whaddaya mean, leave?"

"I hope you're not telling us to leave our allies behind," Shape-Change stated, clearly worried.

"If that were so, I would not do this," Vector Prime replied. "You are an important part of the war -- but you are too important to remain in this time."

"You're telling us that we have to time travel," Wildfire guessed, frowning.

Vector Prime shook his helm. "What I am suggesting is not complete time travel."

"Then what are you suggesting?" Sparkseer inquired hesitantly.

"I am suggesting that you take a trip with me to the world of the humans in this dimension." Vector Prime saw the looks of confusion and surprise appear on the Cybertronian's faces.

"World of the humans?" Wildfire frowned. "Are you taking about Earth or something?"

"Just Earth," the old mech replied. "I am taking you there because of event that will take place in the future."

This statement took a nanoklik to sink in.

"Whaaat?!" Jazz was surprised enough to take a step back. "Dey get ta go ta Earth an' I don't? Why?"

"Jazz," Optimus muttered in warning. His statement was ignored.

"How's deir disappearin' supposed ta help Optimus?" the white mech continued.

"Yeah," Wildfire agreed. "We should be here, helping to pummel the Decepticons to scrap, not living with organics smaller than our servos." She crossed her arms over her chest, an annoyed and defiant look on her face. "Why do you want to take us now?"

"It isn't _when_ I want to take you, it is _what_ Primus has planned for you," Vector Prime responded. "Do not blame me for bad timing -- I timed it perfectly according to our creator's instructions."

"Fine, then. What does Primus want with us?" Wildfire raised an optic ridge as she looked the old mech over, as if she was searching him for an answer.

Vector Prime let out a sigh. "Primus has seen a few different... _scenarios_...in which you have become involved in certain battles here and become offlined in the process. There are many things he hasn't told me, but one of the things he has is that you are not meant to die on Cybertron. You are meant to live much longer than that. In order to assure that you will live that long, Primus has requested that you be sent to another dimension for your own safety, to wait there until you can be called back to assist in the war against the Decepticons."

"What would happen if we disagree with this?" Shape-Change asked, giving the older Prime a curious look.

"I doubt that you'll want to know," Vector Prime responded grimly.

"I want a good reason as to why we have to go with you," Jolt stated, almost glaring at the old mech. "Otherwise, we probably won't."

Vector Prime let out a sigh. "Very well. Wildfire, your actions here will cause the Dark Energon in your systems to take you over, as you are letting your anger control you. Jazz will be forced to offline you before you reach an even more berserk state, after you destroy Breakdown in this...brutal manner." He motioned to the mentioned suspended mech. "Shape-Change will have been critically damaged from fighting Breakdown, and will go into deep stasis lock. When Megatron manages to gain access to Iacon, the Hall of Records will crumble around her. Sparkseer and Jolt will manage to last the longest, but Shockwave will eventually kidnap you both and set about creating tortures in order that he might be able to break the Wreckers. He will test them on you."

Jolt shuddered. "Well, I definitely want to escape a fate like _that_."

"I will not be broken," Sparkseer stated resolutely.

"You may think that now, but you haven't been inside his lab -- you haven't been used like I have." Jolt turned and gave Sparkseer a pleading look. "I don't want to end up down there again, and I don't want to see you down there, either." The medic-in-training turned to face Vector Prime. "I'll go to Earth."

Vector Prime nodded slightly in approval, then opened another rip with a flick of the sword he carried. "Step through there, Jolt. You will reach the planet in this manner." Seeing a look that appeared on the younger mech's face, he added, "You need not worry over Coil or your humans comrades. They have already reached the planet."

Jolt looked surprised, but he then nodded his thanks. The blue mech walked over to the rip and peered in. He hesitated, but after seeing that Vector Prime was giving him a confident smile, the mech walked through.

"Who is next?" Vector Prime asked, looking over the remaining three.

"I will." Shape-Change stepped forward. "I don't see why I should stay here, if I am going to be trapped in stasis lock for the rest of the war. As I will not be fighting, I may as well do reconnaissance on Earth."

"You sound like we will be going there eventually," Wildfire noted, giving the shifter a curious look.

"We have already come into contact with four of the planet's inhabitants. It seems highly likely to me that we will eventually travel there in order to establish a trade route with the organics." Shape-Change walked over to the portal, then gave Vector Prime a nod of farewell before stepping through herself, disappearing from view as soon as she stepped though.

"What of your decisions?" Vector Prime inquired, giving Sparkseer and Wildfire curious looks. "This is the only chance you have to escape the early deaths that might come about for you here."

"Early?" Sparkseer repeated. "Are you saying that there is a way for us to live past this?"

"The path I offer you _will_ allow you to live to see your companions live past the war on Cybertron," Vector Prime responded. "As I have already stated, you will see them again, but perhaps under different circumstances and on a different planet."

"They're going to leave Cybertron?" Wildfire's optics widened slightly upon hearing this, only for her optic ridges to bend into a frown. "Why would they have to?"

"The planet is dying because of the Dark Energon, Wildfire," Optimus spoke up. "It is likely that Cybertron will not be capable of sustaining our kind for much longer."

Vector Prime nodded. "Cybertronians -- both Autobot and Decepticon -- will be forced to leave and find other places to live until the planet can be restored to its former glory."

"Earth is one of the planets they're going to end up going to, isn't it?" Wildfire asked, raising an optic ridge.

"It would make sense," Sparkseer spoke up. "We have made contact with the humans already -- Jazz has assimilated their culture to the point that he speaks in English almost every single nanoklik in a cycle."

"Eh?" Jazz looked a little surprised by the statement. "We're gonna go ta Earth?"

"It will do us some good to visit Earth ourselves and learn more of its inhabitants ourselves," Sparkseer continued. A smirk appeared on the mech's face. "Besides, it seems to me that we might gain more knowledge than Jazz has presently."

Jazz's surprised look changed to a bristle. "Hey! Nobody knows more 'bout da humans better'n I do!"

Sparkseer ignored him as he stepped forward, reaching the rip. Upon getting right in front of it, however, he paused. Turning to look at Vector Prime, he asked, "What is going to happen to us when we arrive there? I doubt that the humans will find this form...friendly."

"I have already found a way to remedy that," Vector Prime promised. "You need not worry about such things."

Sparkseer frowned slightly upon hearing this, but then slowly nodded and walked through as well. This left Wildfire, Optimus, and Jazz standing in the middle of the time-frozen prison, the femme defiant.

"Wildfire, I am unable to keep your Dark Energon infection at bay forever, nor am I able to keep time frozen around you forever," Vector Prime stated. "You must make your decision now, before I make it for you and bring you with me whether you like it or not."

Wildfire blinked upon hearing this. She had come to her final decision long ago, but she hadn't been quite really to leave just yet.

"Allow me to say my good-byes," the warrior femme finally stated. "Then I will go."

The statement caused Optimus and Jazz to look at each other in surprise.

Vector Prime frowned, considering Wildfire's request. After a moment, he placed his sword's point on the ground and placed both of his servos on the hilt -- almost as though to steady himself. "Make your farewells quick, and then we shall be on our way."

Wildfire nodded, then turned slightly to face the two mechs.

"Well, Optimus, I guess this is where we part ways," Wildfire stated, looking over at the red, blue, and silver mech.

Optimus gave a slight nod. "Indeed. Be on your guard, Wildfire -- we do not know if the Decepticons will arrive on Earth first. We will be counting on you and your siblings to protect the humans as best you can."

Wildfire gave a nod, then turned to face Jazz, who looked a little disgruntled at the sudden revelation that Wildfire would get to Earth first.

"And you," Wildfire stated flatly.

"Me?" Jazz looked over at her. "Wha' abou' me?" The mech sounded pretty sour.

"I can tell already that I'm not going to be able to escape you -- you're too tenacious to offline here so easily. I want to see you make it to Earth so that I can show off everything I know about the planet by the time you get there." Wildfire gave a dry smirk.

Jazz looked surprised by Wildfire's statement, but then he smirked as well, and gave a nod. "You can coun' on it."

Wildfire gave a nod in response, then playfully punched the mech in the shoulder before walking over to Vector Prime. "Now I'm ready, old mech."

Vector Prime nodded in approval. "Go ahead, then." He motioned to the rip. "You have another kind of adventure ahead of you, Wildfire."

"I guess so," Wildfire responded with an indifferent shrug. With that, she turned and walked through the rip, the darkness on the other side closing in....


	19. Chapter 19

**Wildfire's POV**

The first thing I was aware of was that I was standing in what looked like my quarters in Iacon...except that I was standing in front of a picture of a human femme who was standing in a room identical to mine.

I frowned as soon as I saw this, remembering that I didn't have anything that remotely looked like artwork in my quarters. However, much to my surprise, as soon as I had frowned, the femme in the picture mimicked my movement.

"What...."

I walked towards the picture; the femme mimicked my movement and came closer herself. When I placed my servos on the frame and got ready to move it, I saw that my servos looked exactly like humans hands.

That could only mean one thing: I was standing in front of a mirror.

And now _I_ was a human.

I backed away from the human device and started to look over my form quickly; I definitely had the curves of a femme, but the only sign that I actually ever had weapons were the hand-held blaster and curved sword hanging from a belt that went around the waist line of the jeans I was wearing. I was wearing a plain red shirt and a jacket that -- lucky me -- mimicked my flaming paint job.

My shoes didn't mimic this, however -- they were a plain red with a zipper-device down the middle.

Attire settled, I looked back at the mirror -- blue eyes, "fair" skin, but I wasn't wearing any headgear, which annoyed me -- my shoulder-length red-gold "hair" (as the humans called it) usually wasn't allowed to hang loose.

"This doesn't feel right," I muttered, looking around again. "Something tells me there's more to this than everything having shrunk to human size."

Finding the door, I went over and tried to open it; no such luck -- it must have been locked from the outside, because I didn't see any unlocking mechanisms in here. I was a prisoner. Great.

"Not funny," I growled through gritted teeth. "Vector Prime, when you said you'd take me to Earth, I hope this isn't what you meant!"

You can probably imagine my surprise when the old mech's voice actually answered.

**_"Wildfire, calm yourself. Look through the mirror once more, and you will see where I have placed you on the human world."_ **

_Through_ the mirror? I turned my helm and looked at the reflective device again. Almost as soon as my blue eyes connected with my reflection, the mirror warped. A nanoklik later, I found myself staring at a room that was clearly not made of metal and filled with all sorts of soft things -- the inside of a human house, maybe? But...how was that even possible?

"Where did you send me?" I asked evenly, trying to keep my anger to a minimum -- no way was I was going to destroy where I was going to sleep.

**_"I sent you through the rip in space the humans created when I brought them to Cybertron for a short time. They were not meant to be there, that is true, but it had to be done so that Primus' plans could be carried out. Now, you are in a place where you can watch from afar and also close by, in case you are needed in the development of a particular_ ** **_human child."_ **

"A _child_?" What was this guy thinking?! I know he's part of the Thirteen and all, but--

_"Mom? Why are you looking at me funny?"_

I looked back at the mirror and found myself staring at a pair of concerned green eyes, the face of the human femme framed by black, frizzy hair.

There was a sigh from the femme, who looked somewhat tired...and also strangely familiar.

 _"It's nothing, Maria,"_ the woman stated. _"I was just lost in thought."_

Wait. _Maria?_ There's no way.

Turning my back on the mirror, I demanded, "Did you stick me in a five-cycle old human's _head?!_ "

Vector Prime didn't give an answer. Great.

Looks like I'm stuck in a human for the rest of my life-cycle.

**_"You need not worry, Wildfire. There is a way for you to leave this place, but it will take some time."_ **

"Oh, so you're still here."

**_"I will be watching you until the right time for you to regain your original form. At that time, I will tell you how you and your siblings will leave your respective charges and become physical guardians over them. Until then, you will have to wait and watch over and guide your charge from here."_ **

"Great. So how long am I going to be stuck here?"

The old mech didn't answer again.

To quote Morgen, "Oi vey."

Looks like I'm going to be watching Maria grow up while I offline from boredom in here.


End file.
